


Lucifer's Missing Puzzle Piece

by freaking_witchy



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Childhood Friends, Contains Some Sexual Harassments Scene, Drama & Romance, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Lucifer and His Siblings Might Be A Little OOC, My First Work in This Fandom, Please Don't Hate Me, Slice of Life, Some Violent Scenes Included, Worth It, mental health, please go easy on me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2020-04-07 19:46:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 86,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19091863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freaking_witchy/pseuds/freaking_witchy
Summary: Lucifer is chosen by Satan as the ambassador of Gehenna to stop the war between demons and humans. Along the way, he realized that he also has another mission from his father : to find a bride. What happens if he met a young girl who stole his heart without him knowing it, and she's a human??





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Being written with beta readings from Pll539563 and desFraisesPartout. No Illuminati in this fic. Lucifer and the other demons might gonna have some modification and development based on myths, legends, and demonology, but still relatively related with the manga. Also will include additional characters in future chapters.

Gehenna

In a wrecked down castle, some footsteps were heard wandering around. The lighting inside the castle were dim, only filled with torches hanging around the corridors. Human-like entities were shown to follow their leader into a room. But, these people are no human. They are the rulers of the demon realm, Satan and his children, the Demon Kings. In a room filled with blue flame-lighted candles, all of them took their seats.

"My children, thank you for coming. Your presences are deeply appreciated. I am summoning you here because I have something important to discuss with all of you" Satan started the meeting.

"It is a great honor that you summoned all of us, father. What is it that you would like to discuss ?" asked Astaroth.

"I'm sure you all know that we are on bad terms with humans from Assiah. We have been at war with them for thousands of years. Don't you agree with me to feel tired with all these fights?"

"I agree. Our fights with humans had caused casualties to both sides. Not to mention, because of this war, the damages also affected the nature and living beings on this planet", Amaimon replied. Satan smirked and nodded after hearing Amaimon's opinion. He understood Amaimon's trait to be protective towards nature, no matter how indifferent he might be.

"That's true. I think if this war continues, the humans will surely cease to exist. We have to do something to stop this", Samael spoke to their father.

"But why do we have to stop? Even without having to fight us, humans will continue to damage their surroundings by fighting against their own kind anyway. This sounds absurd", Iblis complained.

"I don't think this is absurd. Humans are actually known for their intelligence and adaptive nature. I'm sure, like us, some of them must be tired as well", Azazel answered her.

"What Azazel said is true. That is the main reason why I summoned you here. I would like to choose one of you as our ambassador to discussing our plans to make a peace treaty with humans. Who wants to be a volunteer?", Satan offered to his children.

Hearing such a great offer, the meeting room got crowded. The Demon Kings like Iblis and Astaroth argued about who can be the best candidate, while the others like Azazel and Beelzebub tried to calm their brothers. Amaimon seemed to be indifferent while Samael watched the scene with interest. However, one of them chose to stay silent and observing his siblings. Losing his patience, Satan decided to intervene; until, Egyn speak and shocked them all.

"I think Lucifer can be a good candidate. He's the most influential from all of us, and also the most mature. I believe he can do his job as an ambassador."

 


	2. Chapter 2

After the meeting, all Demon Kings returned to their own chambers, starting from Beelzebub. Lucifer, the King of Light, shown to be the last to getting out. He walked solemnly to his own room.

Lucifer was the most influential demon in Gehenna. He was deemed as the picture of perfection among demons, and very popular among women. A lot of female demons were willing to be his bride, but he always politely refused them all. He was also deeply respected because of his superior powers. Lucifer was trusted the most by Satan. Every duty that were given to him, he could handle them well.

Lucifer could still remember exactly what happened inside the meeting room. All the tense situation, all the confusion and shock in his brothers' eyes; also their father's decision to chose him as their ambassador.

* * *

_"I think Lucifer can be a good candidate. He's the most influential from all of us, and also the most mature. I believe he can do his job as an ambassador."_

_Words that came out from Egyn stunned the Demon Kings, except for Samael. Samael knew that sooner or later, this would happen. As he looked to his older brother's way, Lucifer seemed to be calm. Not a single emotion was shown on his face._

_"What... did you just say, Egyn?", Iblis incredulously asked._

_"I said that perhaps Lucifer can be a good ambassador for us. He's the most influential from all of us. Father also trusted him the most. What do you think?"_

_Suddenly the tension inside the meeting room returned. The Demon Kings argued about Egyn's advice. Most of them were against this._

_"Are you out of your mind?! Big bro Lucifer is already busy as it is. Choosing him as our ambassador will only burden him more. He has already had many duties to help father", Astaroth retorted._

_"I agree with you, Astaroth. Not to mention, I remember that Lucifer dislikes humans. To have an ambassador, we need someone who is able to get close with them socially and emotionally. But unfortunately, Samael and I are busy in the True Cross Order,", Azazel added._

_"Wait, how about our twin half brothers? They are nephilims, and they are born from father and Lady Yuri Egin's relationship. They could be the great mediator between us and the humans. Why don't we choose them, then?", Beelzebub advised his older siblings._

_"There is no way we choose them. They are still little, you dope", Amaimon started losing his patience._

_Seeing their heated argument, Satan decided to intervene. "Calm down now, everyone. I understand that all of you wishes to represent our side, but I will only choose one of you. By the way, Egyn, you have good advice. I think that Lucifer will be a good candidate", Satan said._

_"But father, don't you think that Lucifer is already busy? We know that from all of us, you trusted him the most", Samael speak._

_"Well then, let us ask Lucifer himself. Lucifer, what do you think? Are you willing to take this position?", Satan offered to his oldest son._

_"There is no greater honor than to help you, father. I am willing to be our ambassador", Lucifer finally took his father's offer._

_Hearing Lucifer's respond, Satan seemed to be satisfied. "It is settled, then. Samael, Azazel, I trust that your high positions inside your organization in Assiah enable both of you to interact directly with humans. I want you to assist him in his duties. I believe that he will need your help in negotiating our plans with the human rulers on this planet."_

_"Of course, Father."_

_"Good. I also expected the rest of you to be prepared in case something happens. I believe that this meeting is finished."_

* * *

Finally, arrived in his own room, Lucifer started prepare for his journey to Assiah. He only had little spare time before he started his mission. As he made his preparations, he started thinking about humans in this time. It would be highly possible for many things to change, since he last appeared in Assiah actively around 19th century, and it can be considered a long time for humans. Are they still going to hate and feared him, when he appeared again? Dwelling in his thoughts, Lucifer heard a knock on his door.

"Lucifer, may I come in?", Satan asked behind the door.

"Of course, father."

Satan then opened the door and got inside his room. Lucifer was always known for being well organized, and he expected nothing less from his oldest son. Inside Lucifer's room, there are two sets of chairs and tables, a crystal chandelier, a bookshelf, a wardrobe, and a king-size bed. Satan then sit on one of the chairs as he looked at the King of Light. There were worries on his youthful face.

"Lucifer, you know that you don't have to rush. Take a rest."

"I'm just preparing myself, father. I'm not going right away. You have nothing to worry about."

The god of Gehenna could only be silent after hearing his reply. Since Lucifer returned to Gehenna after being in Assiah for a long time and decided to help him, Satan was really thankful. But sometimes, Lucifer can be stubborn, and this worried him. He changed the subject of their conversation.

"You know, I'm pleased with your decision to be our ambassador. But I also see your brothers were surprised with your words. You have always known for your dislikes towards humans. Can you explain this?"

"Actually, I don't hate humans. I just hate the way they treated their own kind. The strong ones among them are always hurting the weak, and they sicken me."

Satan looked at him with disbelief. One of Lucifer's famous traits is to concealed his true emotions and thoughts. Lucifer can be honest only if Satan asked him directly. He patiently waited for him to continue.

"The reason why I want to be our ambassador, is because I want to be the light for the weak. I want to erase the differences between them and our kind. I also heard a lot of things from Samael and the others about human cultures and their ways of thinking. I think this can be a good opportunity for me to learn about humans directly, especially in this modern era."

Now Satan was interested with his words. He never know that Lucifer could be so thoughtful. This could be a good chance for him to ask about a particular matter.

"Really? Are you interested in humans' ideas? Can you tell me one of them?"

"I'm interested in their concepts of love. Perhaps the other demons would think that it's stupid, but I would like to know how this can be achieved, and how does love feel like. I'm not satisfied with just hearing them."

Bingo! Now Satan could ask him. This was something that has always been nagging on his mind, and it's time to know about Lucifer's thoughts.

"I heard a rumor. Your siblings said that so many female demons were interested in you, yet you refused them all. Why is that?"

Lucifer's calm expression changed to that of fear when he heard those words. Damn it! Lucifer should have known that his father would ask him about this. Satan always nagging him about when would he have his own bride and bloodlines. All of his siblings has had their own family, except him. Lucifer was the most handsome of the Demon Kings, so no wonder that many women were interested in him. He knew he couldn't fight his father anymore. "I'm not interested in any of them. All my life, every time I see them, I see that they are only interested in me because they want me for my powers and position. Not to mention, I still want to help you, father. If in case I will find one, I want someone who is interested in me because of the way I am, not because I'm one of the Demon Kings of Gehenna", he replied sternly.

Satan finally understood his reasons. Lucifer was highly loyal to him, so of course he barely had the time to find a woman, due to his busy routines. Countless humans also worshiped him in ancient times as a god, just like his other brothers so it's possible that he wanted something different. But he knew that Lucifer couldn't stay this way forever. Even demons needed a company in their lives. That's how he met Yuri. When he was in Assiah, Yuri is the one who cared about him. He fell in love with her, and finally had Rin and Yukio as his children. For that he felt deeply grateful. He thought that it was time to relieve Lucifer of all of his duties in Gehenna, so while he's working in Assiah he could also find a bride. This would be better for him.

"But aren't you feel tired of being alone? You are the only one that haven't had your own family. I want to see you happy, and I don't mind if you chose a human woman as your bride. I will relieve you of your duties in here. At least, while you're working in Assiah, try find a woman of your own. I expect to see you having a woman by your side after your businesses in Assiah are done. If not, well, I'll think about it. Besides, I always know that you can do your best in your duties, and I'm sure this will be no different."

Lucifer finally gave up. Satan would not take no for an answer. Perhaps his father was right. He had been alone for thousands of years, so of course his father would want him to do this. "Alright, father. I'll think about it."

"Good! I can't wait to hear it from you soon. Take a rest. You will need it."

After Satan left, Lucifer laid on his bed and gazed to the ceiling of his room. He had so many things in his mind. First, to be the ambassador for demons; second, to find a suitable woman. This would definitely be a long journey.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys! Welcome to the new chapter! I know that you probably waiting for the latest update, so I'm sorry if I make you waiting. This fic was first updated in Fanfiction.net as my first project. Since I want this story to be noticed in the fandom, I decided to posted this here.
> 
> In this chapter, you will see Lucifer started working on his mission, and something interesting is gonna be mention here. Homare and her comrades, Lund and Strom are pictured here as exorcists of high classes in True Cross Order. I picture them that way since like in the description of this fic, Illuminati isn't exist! I hope you don't mind with this version of them.
> 
> Lucifer is really close with his siblings here, including Rin and Yukio :) And be prepared for what happened in the last part of this chapter. It will be a clue for the introduction of my OC in the next update. By the way, sorry for some misspellings. I'm not a native English speaker. Enjoy your reading, and don't forget to give me kudos and reviews! I would love to hear your comments and advises!

Finally, it was time for Lucifer to went to Assiah. Lucifer appeared in his host body to look like a 24 years old, tall young man. He had blond hair, fair to whitish complexion, thin lips, and green eyes, complemented with elongated canine teeth, pointed ears, and a blond tail which showed the characteristics of a demon. A few days earlier, he acquired a human body by possessing a young man in a deep comatose state. Surprisingly, this body was sufficient to hold him, so he didn't feel any pain. During his experiences, his vessels deteriorated almost every ten years due to his enormous amount of power. He felt comfortable in his new body. He was accompanied by his siblings, except Samael. Satan, who was already there in the first place, began creating a Gehenna Gate from a few drops of his blood.

"Brother, are you ready?", asked Iblis which Lucifer answered with a nod.

Before they went, Satan had two requests to his younger children. He asked them to watch over Lucifer and to let him know about Lucifer's activities while in Assiah. Satan already knew about Lucifer's traits, but he couldn't help but being worried. Of course, the younger Demon Kings agreed to their father's wishes without the King of Light noticed.

* * *

As the Demon Kings appeared in Assiah, Mephisto and his pink limousine had been waiting for them. The pink limo was driven by one of Mephisto's drivers.

"Lucifer, welcome back to Assiah!", Mephisto greeted him. All of them went into the limousine. There were plenty of seats inside it. Then the limousine carried them around the city. On their way to Mephisto's mansion, Lucifer saw a lot of skyscrapers and department stores. He also observed many humans wandering around the city.

"So, which century this is? And where are we?", Lucifer inquired.

"We are in the 21st century, and this is the True Cross Campus Town, Tokyo, Japan. I'm sure that you can notice how many things have changed since your last appearance here", Mephisto explained to him.

Of course, Lucifer noticed them. Humans in this era seemed to be so... modern. He saw many humans had developed so far, and they invented devices in order to make their lives easier. Deep inside, for the first time in all his years living, Lucifer was worried. He thought of how was he going to adapt with the contemporary lifestyle in Assiah, considering this was his first appearance after his return to Gehenna years ago. He didn't let this show on his face, but one of his younger siblings, Beelzebub could see right through his facade.

"Don't worry, big brother. We will do anything we can to help you while you are here", Beelzebub consoled him.

Lucifer was deeply thankful for his younger siblings. They may have seemed to be exuberant, but they still care about him.

Then, as they passed a monastery Mephisto ordered his driver to stop for a moment. From one of the windows of the limo, Lucifer saw a pair of twin brothers were playing together. Mephisto then pointed his right index finger to them and told him, "Lucifer, do you see this place? This is where our younger half brothers live. They live here with Lady Yuri and their godfather, the former Paladin of the True Cross Order, Shiro Fujimoto."

"How old are they now?"

"Rin and Yukio are ten years old. They haven't show any signs that they inherited father's powers, but perhaps we'll know when they grow up", Amaimon answered.

Lucifer nodded and thought of Amaimon's answer. He still remembered that Satan and all the Demon Kings were present during their half brothers' births. He saw how happy his father was when Rin and Yukio were born. When Yuri told him that she chose Shiro as their godfather, Satan fervently refused the idea, but after witnessing how close they were during their friendship, Satan finally accepted his lover's wish. It was the last time when Lucifer showed himself in Assiah. After that, he returned to Gehenna and continued ruling the demons alongside his father, so he didn't have the time to notice the continuous changes in human societies.

A couple of minutes later, they arrived at Mephisto's mansion. Inside the building, Mephisto showed Lucifer the directions to every room, like kitchen, hall, library, living room, and of course Mephisto's office. He also gave him a room of his own. Lucifer's room was very luxurious. His room consisted a set of sophisticated carved wooden desk and chair, a crystal chandelier, a grand piano, a large wardrobe, 2 sets of bookshelves, and a king-size bed with a transparent curtain, golden blankets, and a white bed sheet. There were also a bathroom with a shower and a bathtub inside.

During his first experience adapting with his new life in Assiah, Mephisto and his younger siblings showed the recent human lifestyle to Lucifer. He was quite fascinated with their ways of living. He noticed that human fashion nowadays was much simpler than the last time he saw them. Lucifer wore a white T-shirt with jeans and a pair of sneakers during his daily activities. But he was quite surprised to see Mephisto had high interest in human cultures, particularly Japanese. There was one time when Lucifer came into his room, he was welcomed with the sight of many anime posters, countless manga, and lots of action figures, which made him quite intimidated and confused at the same time; nevertheless Lucifer didn't judge nor minded the passion of the King of Time. He finally knew from Astaroth and Egyn's explanations that Mephisto was an otaku.

Amaimon always accompanied him if he wanted to see the human lifestyles closely. The King of Earth became his guide every time he wanted to travel. He seemed to like the modern human food, and he enjoyed his stay. But sometimes during his travels with his brothers, Lucifer felt irritated. It happened because of a one particular reason : he was chased constantly by human women. This didn't help with all of his siblings were laughing at him and did nothing every time this occurred. It was not the fault of the King of Light. To him, the appearances of his vessels didn't matter, but in the past when he possessed his vessels, they were good-looking by coincidence. No wonder Lucifer thought that although humans were changing with time in cultural senses, it was not the same with their attitudes. Same thing happened years ago. So, if this were to happened, beside of running away, he would turn into his animal form as a parrot.

Then on one occasion, Azazel gave him a device, which perplexed him.

"What is this?", Lucifer asked the King of Spirits.

"This is a cellphone. Humans usually use this for communication. With this, you can make phone calls, texting, and many more. This device is very important, and you must carry it with you everywhere you go. That way, you can inform us in case you need something."

Iblis then showed him how to use his new cellphone. He found that he had all of his siblings' numbers inside it. In less than two days, Lucifer could get the hang of it. He even knew how to browse through the Internet using it. During his leisure time, Lucifer usually in his bedroom reading countless books that were given to him by Mephisto or went to the library. Sometimes he made fast foods in the kitchen. Then one day, Lucifer got bored and decided that it would be a perfect time to start his mission. He heard that strange incidents had been happening in some of the districts spread across Japan, and he couldn't let this happens any longer.

"Samael, I think this is a perfect time to start my mission as our ambassador. Can you arrange a meeting with the government? I would like to start from the closest human government first", Lucifer requested him.

"Of course. I will contact the prime minister beforehand, then Azazel and I will have it arranged for you. We will also ask some of the exorcists from the True Cross Order as volunteers to help you", Mephisto answered him.

* * *

A couple of weeks later, the meeting was arranged between Lucifer and the prime minister. Lucifer in this meeting donned a green military suit, a black tie with a styled cross pin, a pair of white gloves, cream-colored pants, and black knee-high boots. Lucifer was guarded by three elite exorcists. They were Homare Todo, Lund, and Strom. They were chosen specifically by Mephisto also to protect him in case something happened. The meeting was held inside the True Cross Order Tokyo branch headquarters. About a couple of minutes after the meeting began, the situation turned to shambles. This happened due to the prime minister's distrust when Lucifer promised the aid of the Demon Kings to ward off the stronger demons that possibly lurking around the country. Lucifer tried to be patient, and he cast his dislikes towards him aside; but this man was definitely testing his limits. Lucifer's guards, Mephisto, and Azazel had to calmed him down when they saw Lucifer was clenching his fists; he was about to blew up. They knew what would happen if Lucifer got mad, and they wanted to prevent this from happening. Besides, Lucifer maybe good at hiding his emotions, but his temper was also well-known among demons. Mephisto still remembered how horrific his temper was when the King of Light punished their underlings for being incompetent.

"Lucifer, calm yourself. You can't continue if you keep on like this," Azazel begged as he whispered.

"I'm trying, but this man is testing my patience!", Lucifer rebuffed him. In his life he had never met such a stubborn man. He didn't like the prime minister already.

"How am I going to trust you Lucifer, if you as the ambassador of demons is hateful towards us? Proposing your plans to aid us further in facing your own kind sounds ridiculous! I have heard from the exorcists that you developed an animosity towards us. I only trust Sir Mephisto Pheles and Azazel because they are working directly inside the True Cross Order and I have know them since I took this position as the prime minister of Japan. I cannot accept your proposal until I am sure that you don't have any ill intention towards the citizens of this country", the prime minister said to him.

"Sir, please listen to him for a moment. Our older brother has his reason about his proposal", Azazel pleaded to the prime minister.

"Alright. Explain it to me."

Lucifer then got up and went towards the prime minister's desk, then he showed him the papers containing news that reported about weird incidents across the country. "Do you see this? This is the investigation that I did two weeks ago based on the newspapers, TV reports, and Internet. I believe that these incidents were caused by demonic activities, something that perhaps undetected by the exorcists."

This revelation suddenly caused the meeting room to be crowded. The exorcists never thought there were unknown incidents that could be discovered by the King of Light. Of course, this was to be expected. As the most powerful of the Demon Kings, he was the most familiar with his own kind, and the most intelligent that he could even outwit the King of Time.

"You, and all the exorcists in this room must realized, there are more powerful demons compared to our kin. Some of them are known to be deadly, and in Gehenna they have certain influences in our hierarchy. I believe that the Paladin won't be able to face them alone if they were to appear. That's why I offer you our help. We Demon Kings are able to sense their presences and persuade them to return to Gehenna. I have asked my siblings for help, and all of them agreed with me. You will need us in this case."

The prime minister finally relented to Lucifer's words. He asked him a little time to made sure about those incidents and also discussed the matter with the Emperor and his officers. Lucifer expected to know his decision in a week. For now, the only thing he could do was waiting.

On their way home, Lucifer thought about the whole situation in the meeting earlier. All the tension inside the meeting nearly costed his sanity. He should have known to worked better on his patience and never let his emotions got in the way.

"Lucifer, I know what you are feeling right now, but please be patient with them. You can't force them to listen to you and do what you wish right away. Give them some time", Mephisto advised him.

"How do you know? Don't you see the way they were looking at me? It's clear that they are still afraid and hate me. I'm worried about how this is going to turn out. If the prime minister despised me, then it will be no different to the other rulers."

"You can't judge people like that. Not all humans are bad. Just hold on for a little longer", Azazel reassured him as he patted his shoulders.

"By the way, we have heard from father about what you told him. I guess that father is right to tell you to find a bride. You can also study about them from their emotional perspectives. This will be useful in your duties as our ambassador", Egyn added.

How easy it was for them to said so. They didn't know the pressure of his duties. For once, Lucifer hoped for a break as he thought of their words. He nearly rolled his eyes at their ideas. Of course, also being reminded of his task to find a bride made it harder for him to think. He could sense that his head started to pounding.

* * *

While they were on their way to the mansion, a little girl screamed as she ran away to escape from her bullies.

"Please, stop this! I didn't do anything! Someone, help me!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Welcome to the new chapter. Like I promised, this chapter you will meet my OC. She's inspired from Chise Hatori of Mahoutsukai no Yome. You'll know about her soon by the time you read this story.
> 
> I'm a little sick at the moment, but I decided to post since I like your enthusiasm. Yesterday, a guest reader on my old site in Fanfiction.net was reviewing my story and asked me to include the link to this one. Anon, if you're read this, just raise your hand! I wanna know!
> 
> That's all! Enjoy your reading. Don't forget to give me kudos and reviews!

Lucifer was getting tired already at hearing his siblings' ramblings. As he heard them, he closed his eyes to relieve him from his incoming headache and drifted to sleep. But in the middle of their conversation, suddenly Beelzebub interrupted. "Hey, did you hear that? It sounds like somebody is screaming for help."

_"Please help me! Somebody!"_

"You're right. It sounds like the screaming of a young girl. Poor thing, I wonder what is happening outside", Egyn added.

"Nah, just let her be. We almost arrived. Besides, that's not our problem", Astaroth idly said.

All of a sudden, Lucifer that had woken up from his sleep ordered the driver to stop. Then, he glared to Astaroth, "How could you be so ignorant? Do you know that this attitude of yours is the reason why you were always looked down upon? I think she needs our help."

Astaroth and his siblings were instantly frightened hearing his angry reply. How could they forget? Despite his calm and collected self composure, Lucifer was actually known for being considerate, especially to those who weak. They should have known not to question his ideals. They realized that this was another good reason for Satan to chose him as their representative.

"Do you know that it is our responsibility to help those who are weaker? I see that your behaviors haven't changed, even after all these years. Humans in the past used to revere us as benevolent beings, but they turned their backs on us because of this kind of attitude. I am very disappointed in all of you, and I will not go to repeat the same mistake."

"Wait, where are you going?", Iblis asked her brother.

"I am going to see that girl, and make sure that she is alright. You can continue your way to the mansion without me. I'll catch up later", Lucifer replied as he disappeared in a flash of light.

Mephisto and his brothers were dumbfounded to say the least. They never thought the King of Light could be so impulsive. Mephisto took a deep breath as he said, "Way to ruin the mood, Astaroth. You just enraged our brother. You should have known not to act that way."

"Yeah, yeah. Blame it on me. I'm the wrong one, after all", Astaroth carelessly grumbled. Azazel and the others could only shook their heads at witnessing his behavior. Astaroth had always been known for being careless, and he rarely listened to people. No wonder he received the sixth place in the royal hierarchy of Gehenna. Astaroth was quite similar to Amaimon, because of his habit of using brute strength in solving many things. Usually Satan trusted him with physically sorted problems. Then they continued their way to the mansion and waiting for Lucifer to return.

* * *

Meanwhile, as Lucifer tried to track her down, the young girl ran away from her bullies. A herd of hobgoblins which belong to them as their familiars were shown to chasing her. She was desperately trying to escape as she ran the streets around the neighborhood. She was getting tired with all of them hunted her down. As she passed an alley, she thought that this could be a good place to hide, but apparently she was wrong; it was a dead-end. It would be impossible for her to hide nor escape. She was cornered in the dark alley. She could hear her bullies and their familiars approaching.

"Finally we got you, you little witch! You should have never thought of getting out of your house!", one of the bullies taunted her.

"No! Get away from me! I never do anything to you! Why are you doing this?", the girl screamed as she tried to run away. But as she did so, she hit a nearby trash can.

"Oh please, seeing you around irritate us even more. A witch like you should never live here. It's a perfect time to give you a good lesson!", said one of them as they prepared their familiars to attack her.

"No!"

* * *

As the young girl screamed, Lucifer found her tracks. He could feel that she was in great distress. He couldn't let this happened for too long.

"Bite her, boys!", they commanded their familiars.

"Back off, all of you."

The children were suddenly shocked with the man's voice. They could hear the authoritative tone in his words. As they turned their backs, they saw a flash of light which slowly formed into the figure of a man. The hobgoblins were terrified at him.

"I can't believe what I see here. It seems that my assumptions on human attitudes were right. They didn't change much during the centuries", he said to himself as he observed the scene. The bullies shivered at his presence, while the young girl was confused with the change of situation.

"I can't believe it. It's impossible! I thought you had returned to Gehenna years ago! How could you be here?", one of the terrified children asked him. They never thought the most powerful of the Demon Kings would come and interfere with their businesses.

"That is none of your business. I'm the one who should be questioning you. Why did you terrorize that girl while she had done nothing to harm you?", Lucifer interrogated them, with no response from all the children. They were too frightened to answer him. He saw that there were hobgoblins on their side. The hobgoblins immediately recognized the King of Light and gave him their respect.

He thought about this situation. Not many people were able to tame this particular Amaimon's kin, since hobgoblins were known to be highly mischievous. It seemed that they also recognized him. He concluded that this could only mean one thing : these children came from the family of exorcists.

Then one of the children yelled, "It doesn't matter what we are doing! It's none of your business either. We just want to give her a lesson of what will happen if she were to mess with us. Besides, your kind are doing much worse than us! We are not afraid of you!"

This kind of reply surprised Lucifer to no end. This mere human child actually had the nerve to challenge him! But he regained his composure, "That's true. Our kind is much more vicious compared to yours. But what would you think if I told you that I'm different compared to most of them?"

They were dumbfounded at hearing this. Then they remembered that what Lucifer said was true. They were reminded with one important fact : Lucifer was the ambassador of peace between demons and humans. They knew that if they challenged him, it would be no use to them. Dealing with the Demon Kings would only cause more problems. Not to mention, this would influence the perspectives of the King of Light on humans. Their change of attitudes were enough to tell him what was inside their minds.

"I suggest that you leave, otherwise you know what will happen if you dare to challenge me again. Besides, facing all of you are just wasting my time. I do not wish to tarnish our reputation in front of humans even further either. If you dare bully on someone like her and I were to notice about this, we will meet again. Or would you like me to command one of my Seraphims to chase you down?", Lucifer threatened them.

This instantly caused them to scream in fear and ran away. They knew that with their abilities at the present, they would be no match against the King of Light. They fled along with their familiars. "Damn it! That witch must have summoned him earlier! Let's run!"

Witnessing the scene almost made Lucifer wanted to laugh. He never thought he would experience this kind of event. This was quite hilarious. Apparently those children were just a bunch of cowards. Then he remembered the main reason of why he came here. He wanted to make sure that the girl was okay.

"Girl, are you alright?", he questioned with the tone as gentle as he could muster. But all he heard was the sound of her sobbing.

The tone from this man... or demon's voice surprised her to no end. She thought that she was going to be bullied again, but he didn't do anything to her. She heard from her bullies that this man was a demon, but she thought that it would be impossible for a demon to be this gentle. No ill intentions were shown from him. "I'm okay. Thank you for saving me."

"It was nothing. I was just came by here and I heard that you were in need."

"If you don't mind, can I take a closer look on your face?"

Now Lucifer was getting tense. He didn't think that she was going to ask such a thing. His appearance in his vessels didn't have many differences throughout the millennia, so he was thinking the possibilities of what would happen if she saw him. Nevertheless, he was wondering how did the girl he had just saved looked like, so he decided to kneel to take a closer look on her too.

Her appearance startled him. She was shown to be quite peculiar, but in a good sense. In fact, it was very rare of him to see a girl like her. She was very young, around 9 years old. She had a slender build and a fair complexion. He saw that she possessed a red hair that reached her shoulders, full lips, and a pair of large deep green eyes; so green they reminded him the colors of a forest. She wore a gray T-shirt and a blue short jeans pants, complemented with a pair of orange shoes.

The young girl also startled to see him. Her bullies were right; he was a demon. Usually humans pictured demons to be spooky. She noticed all of his demonic traits, but to her surprise he didn't look frightening. Actually, she thought that he was very good-looking for being a demon.

"They were right. You are a demon. But I'm wondering. Who are you? You didn't seem to look scary for being one."

Her words made him think. He experienced so many things in one day, but nothing was stranger compared to this. Her words sounded so honest, and innocent. He immediately realized who did he encountered; a pure hearted human. To demons, pure hearted humans were very rare. They believed that these kinds of humans only appeared once in a century. Usually, they only lived in a short while due to being hunted constantly by demons.

"You better be careful with your words. If other demons heard that, they will surely hunt you down. But you are right, I am a demon", Lucifer spoke in a matter-of-fact tone as he straightened his back.

"But can you tell me who you are? I'm really curious. I have heard about lots of demons, and I can see them since I was born", she inquired him as she stood.

 _Another surprise!_ , he thought. This girl was very interesting. But he also noticed that there was something odd. He could feel there was a strange sort of power emanating from her. Who was she? Before he question her, he introduced himself. "I am Lucifer."

This revelation shocked her. "You are the King of Light! I have heard so many stories about you! I'm surprised that you look quite different from those myths. I should have known, since you mentioned Seraphim before."

This girl was actually familiar with his kind. She made him curious. "You know about us. Tell me, what is your name?"

"My name is Shizuka Lovegood, but you can call me Shizuka. It's very nice to meet you, Lucifer-sama!", she introduced herself excitedly.

This girl was full of surprises, he had to give her that. Never in his life had he met a human who was excited to see a demon like him. All this time, he used to be hated because of his wrongdoings in the past. This was refreshing. Without him realizing it, his lips slightly curved upwards. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Shizuka. And please, just Lucifer will be fine", he replied as he got on his one knee and reached the palm of her right hand to kiss it. She suddenly blushed at his kind gesture. _He's a gentle demon_ , she thought.

Then she suddenly remembered something. Her parents must have been waited for her. "Lucifer, I'm really sorry to say this but I need to go home. My parents are waiting for me, and I don't want to make them worried. Besides, it's almost midnight."

"Then let me accompany you. It's dangerous for a little girl like you to walk alone in a time like this. I hope you don't mind", he offered her.

"Sure!"

* * *

Then the two walked together across the neighborhood. As they passed, people were starting to get out of their houses. Some of Shizuka's neighbors started talking about her and her company, but they didn't dare to say it aloud because Lucifer was aware of their every word. His keen sense of hearing caught all of their words, mostly about her negatively. It was highly possible that they had heard of the incident earlier. Gossipers! Sometimes he wondered if these people would mind their own businesses. He didn't understand why do they talked about others without knowing the truth. Another reason for him to disliked humans. Well, except for Shizuka. This girl fascinated him. As he looked at her, she seemed to ignore all the negative talk, but she had a gloomy look on her face.

"You must be wondering about them. They are my neighbors. My family and I are used with them. You can say that we are quite different compared to most people."

"Is it true what they are saying? Are you a witch?", he asked carefully, didn't want to hurt her feelings. He didn't know why, but he felt the strong need to protect her. She didn't deserve to experience this kind of treating.

"Yes, I am, and my parents as well. But we never used our powers to hurt others", she honestly answered him. Now it made sense. No wonder he sensed something strange about her. But he was aware of the fact that some humans allied themselves with supernatural forces. In the past, humans also allied with demons for various purposes.

"I should have known."

"I have been curious about demons for a very long time. I think that your kind is fascinating. Besides, I want to be an exorcist when I grow up. I didn't get affected by demons, but I am able to see them because of my abilities, although I'm still new with my powers. It's my natural talent", she proudly told him. All the gloomy looks on her face had disappeared. It was magnificent to see how did her emotions change. He got the impression that she was strong emotionally. "By the way, I'm curious. Why did you save me earlier? I know how deceiving a demon like you can be. It could be very easy for you to hurt me, but instead you didn't do anything. I have heard that you dislike humans, but I don't think that you are hateful. You just don't like the way we treat other people, right?"

Shizuka's words stunned him. How could this girl read him so easily? For the first time, he felt that he had found someone who was able to understand him. Pulling himself together, he explained, "I don't think it's fair for a person like you to be treated that way. It sickens me to see them harassing you. I hate those who are hurting the weak. I believe that we can live in peace by treating others equally. That's the reason why I saved you. I know that honesty is not in our nature, but I have to say I find that you are very interesting. I have never met a human like you before. I think that despite your young age, you look smarter than most of your peers."

Lucifer's words seemed to satisfied her. Without them realizing it, they almost arrived in front of her house. Her house seemed to be normal, just like the others around the neighborhood if not more sophisticated. The architecture adapted the style of the houses in England. Her house was reaching the third floor, with a fence. There were rose bushes growing on her front yard. Lucifer saw nothing strange there. He didn't understand why were those people gossiping about her family. Standing on the porch, her parents were waiting for her.

"Young lady, where have you been? We are so worried!"

"I'm so sorry Mom, Dad. I got myself in trouble again", Shizuka informed them as she hugged her parents.

"The other kids bullying you again, weren't they? Are you hurt?", her father inquired.

"Don't worry, I'm not hurt at all. Besides, I got a help from someone", Shizuka responded as she pointed at the King of Light. "His name is Lucifer, and he saved me from them."

Lucifer calmly looked at her parents. They were very surprised to see him. Certainly they would have never thought a demon of high level like him would help their daughter. Their names were Simon and Keiko Lovegood. They were about in their early 30s, and they were in the same heights as he was. Shizuka seemed to inherit her mother's looks. The only difference was that her mother had longer hair and blue eyes. Her father had a slicked black hair. He observed that she had her father's eyes.

Her parents appeared to be wise. No wonder their daughter was smart. Now, he waited to see their reactions.

Their reactions were startling. "Thank you for helping our daughter, Lucifer-sama. We are deeply in your debt", Simon thanked him as he and his wife bowed to him.

Shizuka and her parents were the same. Despite the unfair treating by their neighbors, they were still able to give some respect to people. This family was fascinating, unlike other people he had met before.

"Would you like to go inside? We want to offer you a drink", Keiko invited him.

"I'm deeply sorry. I would love to, but I'm afraid I have to go home. My younger siblings are waiting for me. If you excuse me, I must go now."

"Will we see each other again?", Shizuka shouted as he walked away.

"If you wish it", he replied with a small smile.

"Wait!", she called out as she ran towards him. "I have a request. You are the first one to be nice to me. I see that you are lonely too. Would you like to be friends? In return I can help you to understanding more about humans."

How unexpected. He had never experienced this before, and deep inside he was deeply anticipating the prospects of this opportunity. She could be a great help for him in studying about humans. Besides, nothing was better in learning about humans than being acquainted with one of them. He nodded at her request.

His response caused her to squeal in excitement. She never thought that the King of Light would be willing to be her friend; her first friend to be exact. She hugged him at his waist. Lucifer staggered at this point. He wasn't sure what to do, so he knelt slightly and returned her hug awkwardly.

"Thanks! I'll see you soon, Lucifer!", she waved her hand to him as he nodded and walked on his way back to the mansion. Then he turned into a parrot and fled.

At the mansion, Mephisto and his brothers had been waiting for him.

"So how did it go, Lucifer? It took you a while to get back here", Mephisto questioned him. He had a strange grin on his face. It seemed that he knew what is going on. As expected from the King of Time.

"It turns out to be fine. I hope you don't mind, but I need to get some sleep. A lot of things happened to me today. I'll tell you everything in the morning."

"Okay then", Mephisto chuckled as he saw the King of Light entered his room.

Lucifer changed his clothes and lied on his bed. He thought about the event where he rescued Shizuka earlier. This girl was pretty unique. For the first time, he got a good sleep. It had never crossed his mind that his first encounter with her would be the start of a beautiful friendship.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Welcome to the new chapter. In this chapter, you'll see some interaction between Lucifer and Shizuka during the next 3 years of her childhood. It's gonna be consisted of some trivia about Shizuka's background and her interaction with Lucifer. I hope you like it. Enjoy your reading!

Since their first meeting, life just got more exciting for Shizuka. She found understanding and acceptance in Lucifer, and despite him being busy with his job as an ambassador, he always had the time to help her every time she need him. He made her felt comfortable and less lonely in his company. Same thing happened to Lucifer. He found someone who was able to show him unexpected sides of humans, and she helped him to understand many human characters. He definitely had made a good decision to be friends with her. This can be seen from the situation a week later when Lucifer met the prime minister. Lucifer became much calmer and understanding; he even apologized for his behaviors which was warmly welcomed by him. He was pleased when the prime minister agreed to his proposal. It would definitely be better working together with the Demon Kings to take care of the problems regarding the strong demons that settled their hiding place around the country. It has finally decided that the exorcists will be cooperating with the rest of the Demon Kings when there are reports regarding this matter.

* * *

Every once in a while, Lucifer will ask many things to Shizuka, mostly about human relations.

" Shizuka, may I ask you something?", Lucifer asked her calmly.

" What is it?"

"I want to know about you humans. In my lifetimes, I have seen wars in the history of mankind. Why do humans hurt each other? I would like to see your views when it comes to this. Can you explain it to me?"

"Well, I don't know if I have the best answers to that, but mostly there are three causes : jealousy, greed, and grudges. People wanted something from others that they were unable to possess. There are many occasions where we want something that we can't have. Because of money and power, people could turn against each other. Few also use many excuses to justify their doings. And about the last one, people who hold grudges and unable to find themselves to forgive their enemies are most likely to take vengeance towards those they hate. That's what I know. I can't deny that we are not perfect ourselves, but what I know is that not all of us are wicked."

 _I see. Then it is similar to what Samael had explained to me_ , he contemplated silently.

* * *

As the time went by, Lucifer learned further about her. Her family had a unique origin. Her ancestors came from Greece, and they lived in England for 10 years before finally move to Japan to stayed permanently. Her family has a different religion compared to most people around their neighborhood; it was known as Wicca. Shizuka and her family worshiped 3 goddesses : Athena, Bast, and Hecate. But to Shizuka, she was close personally with Hecate.

"My parents told me that when I was born, my body was very weak I almost didn't make it. Then they asked her to save me. That's how I became close with Hecate ever since", Shizuka yarn about her birth.

Her parents believed that Shizuka was deeply favored by Hecate for being loyal and pure hearted. When Lucifer came to her house, he had the opportunity to see Shizuka gave her offerings to Hecate. He was fascinated by the sight, because he never thought that there were humans who still worshiping ancient gods in modern times.

But different thing happened to Shizuka when she tried to know further about Lucifer.

"Lucifer, can you tell me about your past personally? I'm deeply curious."

"I don't think there's more that can be explained about me. All things about me has been told in stories that you had learned", he slightly joked.

Shizuka slightly disappointed, but quickly returned to her usual cheery expression. "Okay then. I understand." She had assumptions about him, but Shizuka believed Lucifer must have his own reasons for why doesn't he tell some aspects of his past to others and perhaps he would tell her about it when he was ready.

* * *

When they met Lucifer would tell her about his missions. She was always excited to hear his stories. One of her favorite story was when Lucifer told her about his mission in Shimane Prefecture. He went there with Azazel to help the exorcism related to Kamiki family. The head priestess, Tamamo Kamiki was possessed after being rejected by her lover, Souji Inami who was the head priest of the Inari Temple. This incident almost took his life and both of their children, Izumo and Tsukumo Kamiki. Thankfully, the exorcists from the True Cross Order along with Lucifer and Azazel arrived on time. The exorcism from the head priestess ran quite hard due to the deep hatred of the Nine-Tails, but with hard work and patience finally the exorcism succeeded. Azazel had finally succeeded to make the malevolent spirit coming out of its vessel, then Lucifer destroyed it so it could never hurt any human again. Souji finally decided that he could not suffer the loss of his lover if it were to happened, and they reconciled. He even acknowledged their children, and they got married a week later. With their marriage, the separated Kamiki family finally rejoining the main Inami clan. This story encouraged her further to become an exorcist. When Lucifer asked her reason, she said that she want to help protect people from dangerous demons and create peace between their kind. Lucifer thought that this could be useful in his mission, and she will be a great ally when she gets older.

On one of the occasions, Shizuka would visit him when Lucifer had free time. First time she came to the mansion, she was surprised because she met someone else.

"Wow, who are you?", she was surprised at the tall man.

"I believe I'm the one who should asking that to you, young lady. I'm Mephisto Pheles. What's your business here?", the King of Time questioned her, tried his best not to be rude at the little girl.

When she finally met Lucifer, he decided to introduce his siblings. "My apologies Shizuka. I should've been introducing them to you from the start. They are my younger brothers and sister."

She was both surprised and excited to know that the Demon Kings have various vessels to appear in Assiah. The Demon Kings found her interesting, and they like her lively personality. Now Shizuka had friends with all the Demon Kings. She liked all of them, but personally she was interested in Iblis. The King of Fire was different from the other Demon Kings, because of being a female. Iblis looked like an Arabian young woman.

"Wow Iblis, you looked beautiful in your body", Shizuka commented on the King of Fire's appearance.

"Really?" This young human girl made her blushing for the first time. But then Iblis bragged to her brothers, "Oh come on, I had always known I look good in my every vessel, whether they were men or women." This made all of them laughing at her jokes.

* * *

"Shizuka, we are glad to see Lucifer has a human friend. I want you to be understanding towards him. Sometimes he can be quite odd when it comes to some things", Iblis requested.

"I will do my best. But really, does he really that odd?"

"Yeah, he's like a monk and that's because of how rare he was to come to Assiah", Beelzebub joked.

"Not to mention, Lucifer is kind of 'daddy's little boy'. He is very close to Satan, our father", Iblis added.

So far, she didn't mind with those facts. She learned that Lucifer was an old-fashioned demon. He even taught her about human lives in the past, something that she took pleasure in deeply.

* * *

Astaroth questioned, "Shizuka, I want to know what's inside your mind. What do you think about my oldest brother, King of Light?"

"I think Lucifer is the kindest person she had ever met. I'm glad to be his friend."

This suddenly made Lucifer worried. Lucifer thought that it has been 3 years of their friendship, and she had been very kind to tell him about herself; while he still hasn't told her much yet except him on his daily basis. He felt guilty. He actually wondered; would she still want to be friends with him if she knew about his past life? He decided to tell her that after she grew up.

Actually Lucifer's siblings had told him to be honest with her, but he didn't want to rush it. He was afraid that she wouldn't be able to understand and wanted to give her some time. For now, he wanted to make sure that Shizuka has a great life considering she had received all kinds of resentment and rejection from people outside of her family. The only thing that she needed to work with was her confidence. He noticed that since they met, she has been kind of isolated. She was still awkward around many people, and she needed more friends around her age. She was succeeded in making friends with him and all the Demon Kings, so he was sure that this would be no different. She just needed a little help, and he would make sure to give her that.

* * *

Shizuka had the opportunity to meet Lucifer's guards when he was just came home from one of his duties. He then introduced Homare, Lund, and Strom to her. Lund and Strom seemed to like her pretty well, and they encouraged her about her dream to become an exorcist. But they warned her about the risk, and she can understand. From the TV reports, she knew that becoming an exorcist was no easy task, and she would work hard for it when she entered high school. Unfortunately, different thing happened when she met Homare. She looked to be cold to her. Lund and Strom told her that she was actually a good person, so they told her to be patient.

Lucifer said, "Shizuka, you don't have to rush on becoming an exorcist. You are still young. The most important part for you now is to study. Don't push yourself too hard. I know that I can't always be here with you, but in case you need someone to talk to while I'm away , you could ask my siblings or one of my guards."

He would come with her and attending many events around the town frequently. With their time together, Lucifer got many opportunities to experienced human cultures further. He even learned about human celebrations. This was one of those days.

* * *

Spring. People said that it was one of the best times of the year. With the winter passed, all living beings prepared themselves for the new season.

It was a breezy morning, and the sunshine wasn't too bright. Perfect time for sightseeing! Lucifer always thought of this kind of days to be great. Many people didn't know this, but the King of Light also loved beauty and wonders of nature. He then came out of the mansion. He wore a hooded navy jacket with gray shirt and black jeans along with white sneakers.

As he wander around the city, he noticed how amazing the scenery is. The beauty of sights in Assiah has never ceased to amazed him, especially during seasonal changes. No wonder so many demons would do anything to get out of Gehenna. They were tired with the constantly gloomy look in hell.

Then he saw something that surprised him. There were so many humans walking around in couples, and they showed their affections to each other! What is this? This scene made him wondering. Was there something special about this particular day? But deep inside, he suddenly felt something. Something that he had never felt before.

He then decided to came into one of the cafe near the streets. As he drank his tea, he thought about all the things he saw and felt earlier. So many romantic couples walking around the city, so there must be something interesting about this day. What confused him more, he felt that he was in need of company when he saw them. Is this what loneliness felt like? All his life, he dedicated himself to help his father, while his siblings had fun in Assiah. Mephisto and the others always asked him to come with them, but he was busy. Satan gave him many duties. Thankfully, he was surrounded by his underlings, and they were willing to do his orders. But again, it seemed that this was something different. Satan could see how lonely he was. No wonder he tasked him to find a bride. Since he appeared again 3 years ago to do his duties as a representative, he had learned much more about humans. He even gained a friend during his first day of work! Shizuka helped him learned about many sides of humans and dealing with their emotions.

Shizuka! How could he forget? She could help him in sorted this out. But he thought again of his choice to see her. This time of the day, she must be busy with her school.

Despite being socially isolated, she was still able to be one of the best students in her class. She promised to find more friends, and this made him happy. It was time for her to start at a new level. Now Shizuka studied hard for the upcoming exam before graduation next month on March and applying to the True Cross Junior High School. She was almost 12 years old. Things has changed since their first meeting. Now they were best friends. He felt that Shizuka gave him better influences. He became more open and friendly. Lucifer smiled at the thought.

But he was interrupted when he heard giggles from the young girls who sat not too far from him. They were definitely staring at him. He can even hear their whispers of how handsome he was and bet on who can succeed to be his date. He silently groaned as he tried to ignore them. Great, the last thing he needed! Groups of shameless fan girls who were trying to flirt with him. He wondered what would happen if they know that he was a demon. They would definitely be cautious as not to messing around with a high level demon like him. Of course, they didn't know that because he hid his tail. He usually did so when he was on this kind of occasions, and only showed it when he was on duty or around Shizuka and his siblings. As he gazed at a girl among them, she winked at him which suddenly made him uncomfortable. He quickly drank his tea until the cup was empty and got out of the cafe. He could still hear those girls were complaining when he left. It was better for him to be out here. He needed some space. He continued his walk.

He had been here for 3 years. But still, he didn't use with the way of human women looking at him. He knew about his look in his present body, but they could at least act natural around him. He was irritated. How could he finds himself a bride when these humans didn't know the right way to act towards him?! He was grateful that his father didn't say the exact deadline for this task. Otherwise, he would probably go crazy.

Then he suddenly stopped. Apparently he was nearing Shizuka's school. And how relieved he was when he saw his best friend was there. Shizuka was sitting on a bench while reading one of her books and using a headphone. She could be a great help to deal with his problems.

"Shizuka!", Lucifer called her out.

When she saw him came to her direction, she smiled at him. "Hey there, Lucifer."

"What are you doing here?", he inquired as he greeted her.

"I was just finished with my class. You know that I'm studying to apply to junior high school", she answered. "How about you? I see that you were having a sightseeing as usual."

"I do, but I was annoyed. Some girls were staring and tried to flirt with me. They are getting bolder each day. How I love my life", he responded wearily, which she giggled when she saw her friend sitting beside her with a hand on his face.

Actually she didn't want to laugh at him, but she just couldn't help it. She sympathized him. Of course, with his handsome face many girls would be interested in him. She quickly apologized afterwards.

Hearing her giggle made him a little morose, but he slowly got over it. Seeing her smile always lighted up his mood. His decision to came here was right after all. This could be a great time for him to ask her about what he saw during his trip around the city.

"You know, I saw a lot of couples around the city while I walked. They brought flowers and all kinds of presents. I am wondering, what is so special about today anyway?," he asked, which made her slightly agape.

Shizuka suddenly burst into a boisterous laugh while she tried so hard to cover it with her right hand. She couldn't believe he was that clueless. It was very easy to know what was going on in here.

Lucifer startled seeing her laugh in such a way. Was there something funny when he asked about it?

Finally, she was able to calm herself down after seeing Lucifer's bewildered face. His expression made her pitied him. Poor King of Light. Of course, he would be confused. Demons had different emotions and thoughts than humans. No wonder he would ask so many things to her. But she was glad that Lucifer was the most humane demon she had ever encounter, and make friends with.

"I'm so sorry! You were so funny. You should see your face earlier. Have you seen any news or check out your calendar before you go?", she asked him kindly, which he responded with a shook of his head. "This is Valentine's Day, Lucifer. I thought you had noticed about this before."

He slapped his forehead hearing her answer. No wonder peoples on the streets were so lovey-dovey. He had been curious about this for so long. Right now, he was learning more about human experience on love.

During their experiences, Shizuka had told him that Valentine's Day were not just celebrated by lovers. People could also celebrate this day with their loved ones, like friends and families. He started to understand human emotions and their ideas. These humans seemed to be smarter than he thought. They actually did have many methods to appreciate many things around them, even if it was in the simplest of ways and the smallest of things. So far, he had learned about two types of love : familial and friendship ones.

"I can't believe it! I think I can be forgetful sometimes", Lucifer admitted as he scratch the back of his head. He had never felt this embarrassed before.

"It's okay. It's normal to be forgetful. No one is perfect", she consoled him. He silently agreed with her words.

Shizuka's classmates appeared unexpectedly while they were talking. Lucifer remembered them. They were her neighbors, Reina, Tatsumi, and Tatsuya. These kids were the only ones who didn't discriminate her.

"Hi Shizuka-chan! Congratulations for your grades on the exam last semester! We are surprised when we heard about you from the teachers. You are very smart!", Reina congratulated her, which made Shizuka bashful at her compliment.

"Oh come on now, don't be like that! You don't have to be shy in front of us. We won't do anything to you. By the way, you're gonna apply to True Cross Junior High School too, right? That means we will be classmates again", Tatsumi added.

"I-I am", Shizuka stuttered.

"We saw you with this guy the whole time. Is he your friend?", Tatsuya asked her. Hearing his question, she suddenly getting excited.

"He is! This is Lucifer", she introduced the King of Light to them.

Hearing his name, they stunned. It was impossible for a man to have a demon name, right? But they think that he was okay. They had seen him around the neighborhood quite often, and they had been wondering about him. All this time, they saw him being good to her. At least, now they started to get to know him.

"Hey, what are you three doing there? Get back here!", a middle-aged woman called them. It was possible that she is their mother. "Do you know that it would bring bad luck to be around a witch?"

"But mom, Shizuka is a good girl. Why do you have to be that mean?", Reina stood for Shizuka in front of their mother.

Lucifer saw a lot of people were starting to gather near the scene. So many children were frightened to see her. This woman was not a good example as an adult. No wonder the children he encountered during his first meeting with Shizuka bullying her. They followed their parents' examples of treating her family. Some parents along with their children even started taunting her. Shizuka was trying so hard to hold her tears. This sight started to make his blood boil.

"Enough with your excuses. We are going home now! Can't you see her company? It is highly possible that the man next to her is a weirdo, or even worse! A demon!"

Lucifer finally had enough with all of this. How dare this woman judged her without knowing about Shizuka first! Lucifer stood in front of Shizuka.

"Watch your words before you speak, human!", Lucifer scolded her.

The woman was shocked by his angry remark. But then she was getting even more furious hearing his words.

"Who do you think you are that you can tell me what to do? Don't interfere with my business! I want to keep my children safe from this girl. This girl and her family had caused nothing but bad luck since her parents moved to our neighborhood. You better step out of my way!"

"You have no idea who are you dealing with. If you know the truth about me, you wouldn't dare to speak in front of me that way", Lucifer spoke in an authoritative tone.

The people in that school started to get scared. Lucifer showed them both his sharp teeth and long blond tail. Many of them screamed in fear seeing him reveal his demonic traits.

Shizuka's classmates earlier was amazed by his appearance. Reina and her brothers never thought that Shizuka would be friends with the demon. They had heard of the news regarding Shizuka that was saved by the King of Light. They could not believe that the rumor was true. All of them never knew that he could be so fierce when it comes to her.

"Your behavior was so similar to the bullies when I saved her. I have never become a parent before, but I think you and the rest of the adults have become poor examples to your children. You should have known better to know the truth about the person first before you started talking about them", Lucifer admonished her.

The parents and teachers in this school had never feel ashamed like this. They could not deny it, but he was right.

Suddenly Shizuka screamed and called for him. She saw that a Koks was about to hurt Tatsumi. Lucifer quickly shot his ball of light to destroy the demon. It seemed that the demon earlier came because of the chaotic situation. Luckily Tatsumi was safe.

"What was going on with my son?", his mother worried as she saw Tatsumi trembling.

"He was about to be attacked by a demon. That's why I called Lucifer to destroy it", Shizuka responded.

She felt guilty. She should have known all along that her children was right. Her children are much more perceptive than she was. "Thank you for protecting my son", she thanked them both. "I am very sorry for what I have done. I hope you would be willing to forgive me."

Shizuka smiled at the woman's apology. She could understand that sometimes people can judge others based on what they heard. At least, one of them started to trust her now.

"Shizuka, how about we become friends? We hope you don't mind. You don't have to worry. We don't believe those gossips. Actually, you are very cool! You are one of a kind", Tatsuya requested.

"Sure! Thanks a lot!", Shizuka replied with happy tears. She could not believe it. She finally had friends around her age! She smiled at Lucifer.

Lucifer felt content seeing her. It was a perfect time. Now she didn't have to fear of being lonely anymore. He knew that her new friends were different than those people. They could take good care of her.

"Hey! I have an idea. How about we do something for today, Shizuka? This is Valentine's Day", Reina suggested.

"Good idea. Let's make some chocolates. First, we buy the ingredients then we make them at my house. Lucifer, why don't you come with us? Besides, thanks to you now I have new friends."

"I don't want to ruin your moment. You can go without me. Actually, it's you who succeed in making friends, so you don't need to thank me", Lucifer tried to refuse her politely.

"Oh no, Mister. I will not have that. You, King of Light are coming with us. Please?", she begged him. Her eyes were big and teary. Her cheeks were puffy. She usually made this expression so Lucifer would listen to her.

Oh, of all the things why did she have to make that expression? He finally relented to her wishes. Lucifer let out a deep breath. "Alright. I'll come with you."

"Great! Let's go, guys!", she said as she grabbed Lucifer's arm, so he can come with her. Lucifer was very surprised with her suddenly dragging him. Her friends chuckled at the sight. They thought it was hilarious of how a girl able to drag a 5.000 years old demon and one of the most powerful of them to come with her around many places. She was definitely unique.

After they bought dark and white cooking chocolates, they walked into her house. At first, her parents were surprised to see her came with Lucifer and her friends, but after she explained their reasons, they finally understood and permitted her. They were glad to see Shizuka had more company.

Then they went to the kitchen. First, they cut the solid cooking chocolates and melted them into liquids. After that they mixed the melted chocolates together and put the warm liquid in the chocolate mold with many kinds of models. Then they put it into the freezer.

As they waited for the chocolates to cool a little, they talked about many things. Finally, Shizuka knew the truth about her friends. Actually, not all of her friends despised her, but their parents always trying to keep them away from her. As he heard them, Lucifer thought of how narrow-minded these humans were. Why can't they just accepted those who were different than them? He learned that sometimes children were much more accepting towards things around them than adults. Seeing these kids reminded him of when he was younger. He used to be that way.

Finally, they decorated the chocolates. When the chocolates got solid, they divided them. Apparently the chocolates they made were so many, about 18 bars of them! They never thought it would be this much. She gave two chocolate bars to her parents, and this pleased them. Shizuka then gave one to Lucifer as a present.

"Wait Shizuka. You don't have to give it to me. I was quite awkward in the kitchen earlier and didn't do much to help", Lucifer tried to refuse politely.

"That's okay! Just take it. I want to celebrate this day with you too."

Lucifer enjoyed eating his present from her. The chocolate felt so divine in each bite. He could consider eating this more often. She gave five bars to her friends and their parents before they got home. Finally, it was time for Lucifer to be back to the mansion.

"Thanks for today, Lucifer. It means so much to me", Shizuka thanked him.

"Don't mention it. It is a pleasure for me too."

"By the way, take this bag. There are chocolates inside. Give them to your siblings."

"I'm sure they will be pleased. Thank you, Shizuka."

* * *

Lucifer then walked his way back to the mansion. Mephisto, Iblis, and their brothers were very excited to receive the chocolate bars that Lucifer gave to them. The chocolates were in various shapes. Lucifer also told them about the events that happened that day.

"God, this is so great!", Amaimon complimented. "Shizuka-chan is very good at cooking. I love it."

"I agree with you, Amaimon. This tasted really good!", Astaroth added.

"By the way, where is yours, Lucifer?", Azazel asked him.

"I have eaten it before at her house. I got mine the shape of a heart", Lucifer replied, which immediately followed by his siblings' cheering, much to Lucifer's dismay. He went into his room. He could not believe that his siblings had the nerve to thought anything ridiculous about him and Shizuka. They were just friends, nothing more and nothing less.

"Lucifer, you don't know it yet, but I can see something interesting is going to happen in your future", Mephisto murmured as he chuckled and continued eating his present.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should have posted this on February, but I have done that on Fanfiction.net, so whatever. You probably noticed that this story is updated weekly. I just want to give you some notice that in four chapters from now, I will start updating monthly, but don't worry! I have some good chapters in store for you guys, so just bear with me. Don't forget to give this story kudos and reviews!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update at such a close gap with the last one? No way! I'm in a good mood right now, so I decided to give you another chapter, and this one will be about Shizuka enter True Cross Academy. Enjoy your reading!

After Valentine's Day 3 years ago, Shizuka gained more friends. Her friends acknowledged her because of her efforts in helping to protect people from dangerous demons. She had graduated as one of the best students in her school. When Mephisto knew she was going to apply to True Cross Academy, he told her that he was going to give her a scholarship. Shizuka actually refused his offer because she was planning on a part-time work, but Mephisto, being the headmaster of the academy had heard of her achievements at her previous schools, and he advised her to take it so it wouldn't burden her parents to pay the school fee. True Cross Academy was a prestigious school and the students there were either rich or smart. Shizuka belonged to the second category, and she took the scholarship so her parents wouldn't worry about her education.

She was still friends with Lucifer and meet each other pretty often, but during the past two years the King of Light was getting busier. He was called by rulers from other countries, so he went overseas almost every week. Nevertheless, he was still in touch with her and even gave her souvenirs from every country that he visited. First time he ran his mission to another country, Lucifer went to Russia. When he got home he gave her a Matrioshka doll, which she happily accepted.

* * *

Now Shizuka was going to her exorcism class. It was the first day of school, and she was excited. She had finished with her regular classes, and things went well. When she was at the gate, she saw a little dog which wore a white scarf with pink polka-dots around its neck and a True Cross Order pin embedded on it. It was sitting near her.

"Oh, how cute. Hello there", Shizuka said as she saw the dog.

Suddenly she was surprised as the little dog turned into a grown man. It was Mephisto.

"Wow! You have a knack for surprising people, aren't you? Hi Mephisto."

"Good day, Shizuka-chan. How are you today? I'm sure you must be excited considering this is your first day at school."

"I am. You do know that I'm going to be an exorcist, right? I have finished with my regular classes and would like to start my study right away."

Mephisto smirked at her answer. She reminded him of his youngest brother, Yukio. He and his younger siblings had told her about Rin and Yukio, but she had never met them directly due to her busy routine. She had no idea that there will be surprises for her when she entered her class at the cram school. He offered to accompany her to her class.

After she used the key he granted her, they were in a big hallway. She was amazed by sight in front of her. The room design was luxurious. She could not believe that there were such an extravagant place like this. She could see the vintage look in this place clearly.

Then they arrived in her class. The room wasn't too crowded. There were students inside the room, but there were no teachers so far. The class has not begun yet. She was glad to be arrived on time. She was a punctual type of girl in her daily activities.

She saw there were three girls and four boys sitting on their respective desks and chairs. As she took her seat, she saw a whitish blue haired boy standing in front of the door. He looked exhausted. He clearly ran along the corridors to get here. He brought a sword on his back.

"Hello, I'm Rin Okumura", the boy greeted.

"Hi there. Come in", Shizuka greeted him back.

"I'm not late, right? I was quite worried because sometimes I can be forgetful with my schedules."

"Don't worry, the class hasn't started yet."

This boy looked roguish. The boys who sat not too far from him didn't quite like him, especially the one with piercings.

"By the way, what is your name?", Rin asked.

"I'm Shizuka Lovegood. Nice to meet you."

Rin smiled at her kind reply. He liked this girl already. He noticed that there was another girl sitting near them and greeted her. Looks like they had known each other since before the school started.

Shizuka was surprised to see Amaimon in his student attire came to class. The other students were tense to see the King of Earth. Surprisingly, for once Amaimon could dress well, considering that he was usually quite peculiar in wearing clothes. He explained that he would be their classmate too.

She saw how familiar Amaimon talked to Rin. They looked pretty close. Now she was wondering about their relation. Could it be that Rin was one of the younger half siblings Amaimon and the Demon Kings had talked about?

But before she had the chance to asked Mephisto who observed them all, a young man with glasses and moles on his face showed up. He wore the attire of an Exorcist. He looked so similar to Rin.

"Good day, every one. I'm Yukio Okumura, and I will be your teacher for today's class. I will teach you on Anti-Demon Pharmacology. I hope that we can have good relations during this subject. Let us begin."

Shizuka was even more confused with the teacher. It would be highly possible that the young man was Rin's younger twin. Okumura sensei must be a genius to be able to taught them all at such a young age. She thought that she could ask about this to him later. Then she decided to concentrate on the lesson.

Apparently the lesson interested her even more. She was familiar with the plants used as medicines by the exorcist because she was also using them in her daily routine in making healing potions as a witch. She decided that this would be one of her favorite subjects.

* * *

Finally, the class was over. This was her chance.

"Umm... Okumura sensei, may I ask you something?", Shizuka said to the young man.

"Of course, what is it?"

"Actually I do have so many questions. I see that you are still busy, especially with your files. Can I meet you later?"

"Of course. You can wait outside the classroom for me if you want. We can talk there, along with your friends", Yukio said which she answered with her nod.

Shizuka joined her new friends on lunch while she waited for Yukio. She sat next to Amaimon, who offered her some of his snacks.

"So Shizuka-san, can you tell us about your religion? I'm curious", Konekomaru asked her politely.

"I am a Wiccan", she simply told him.

"Wiccan? What kind of religion is that?", Rin confused with her answer.

"Wicca is a neo-paganism religion. It was found in England during the 20th century. The believers in this religion usually worshipping dualism of God and Goddess, but there are other sects that also worshipping Ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greek deities. Those in this religion were called as witches", Izumo explained to Rin simply. Rin nodded at the explanation.

"So that means, you are a witch? I never thought there are still people like you being around in this time", Ryuji said.

"I _am_ a witch. My family and I worshiping Athena, Bast, and Hecate. But I am close personally with Hecate. I never use my powers to hurt people, so you don't need to believe those stereotypes."

"How interesting. This is the first time a Wiccan enter our academy. You must have an interesting method in exorcism", Yukio said as he appeared unexpectedly behind her. "I am sorry for barging into your conversations, but I can't help it. I'm interested in your background, Shizuka-san. By the way, you can call me Yukio outside of class."

"You look pretty, Shizuka-chan. As expected from a witch", Renzou flirted. Shizuka was quite uncomfortable with his words. She had never been in this situation before.

"I remember you have some questions. You can ask anything", Yukio told her.

"Oh yes. By the way, I see that you are very similar with Rin. Are you his twin?"

"He is my younger twin, but he is way smarter than me. Our godfather Shiro favored him", Rin answered.

"Godfather?" Shizuka was perplexed at his explanations. Why did this sounded familiar with her all of a sudden?

Amaimon who was strangely silent during their conversation finally added, "Shizuka, these two were the ones we told you. They are our half siblings. Like us, they are also the sons of our father, Satan."

This fact shocked the teenagers, but Shizuka was the other way around. She was excited to know. So these two were the ones Lucifer had told her!

"You are the sons of Satan? I should have known! Lucifer, Iblis, and your siblings had told me many things about you."

"You know Lucifer, the King of Light?", Shiemi asked her.

"Yeah. He's my best friend. We became friends since he saved me when I was bullied. I was chased around by the other kids who hated me for being a witch. He found me and saved me from them when I was 9", Shizuka told her as she thought fondly of their first meeting. It has been a week since they met each other. She understood that Lucifer was busy with his duties. At least, now she had more friends.

Izumo and the others sympathized her. They understood what an awful experience it must have been. Being bullied since she was a little must be hard for her, but no sadness were shown on her face.

"Lucifer-sama did the same for me. He saved my mom when she was possessed by the Nine-Tails. It happened 5 years ago", Izumo yarn her experience.

"So your family is the one who got involved in the incident in Shimane. Lucifer told me about his mission there. Your family story is one of the things that motivate me to become an exorcist. I want to help protecting people from dangerous demons. That's why I would love to study about many things, including exorcism from other religions."

"Of course. We can help you with that", Yukio told as he smiled at her.

"I hope you don't mind, but if you meet Lucifer-sama could you say hi to him for me? I am still grateful to him", Izumo requested.

"Of course. I will tell him when he got back. He was busy at the moment. Since last week he went to Germany to help the exorcists regarding demons that creating riots there."

Rin unknowingly showed his tail as he heard their conversation. Shizuka noticed this, and she questioned, "I see that you and Yukio are having tails. Is it common for nephilims to have them?"

"I guess so. We have them since we were kids", Rin told her.

"Children who created from the bonding of demons and humans are most likely to inherit the demonic traits of either from their parents. I know, because I am a descendant of one of the demons. I inherited the blood of byakko or what we are used to call as kitsune, although it was a few generations ago in my family so me and my younger sister as the present ones had lost our demonic traits", Izumo explained.

Now Shizuka was fascinated with the twins. She was glad to finally meet them. Both of them were seemed to be great companies.

* * *

Her studies with her friends was getting more exciting. In the subject of holy scriptures, Shizuka could chant verses from the Bible pretty well. Izumo and the Kyoto trio promised to help her in studying about Buddhism and Shintoism. During the subject of Demonic History, Shizuka had wide knowledge thanks to her studies in the past and the things Lucifer had taught her, to the surprise of her friends and their teacher. She possessed an agility during the lessons of swordsmanship that was taught by Shura Kirigakure, but she was lacking in stamina. Similar thing happened in the subject of weaponry. It was understandable, because even though she was blessed by Hecate she couldn't force her body too much so Amaimon, Yukio, and Rin helped her during those lessons. But the hardest lesson she got was the Demon Circle Summoning. She was unable to summon a demon as her familiar. This reality hit her hard. As a witch, she had a talent to have familiars, but Igor Neuhaus and Saburota Todo who act as their teachers, along with the rest of her friends comforted her. They said that not everyone had the talent to summon demons. No matter what kind of demons they summoned, their familiars would only listening to those who had great will. She thought that perhaps she could try to summon them again in the future and decided to ask for help from Lucifer when he had free time.

Yukio noticed that Shizuka was similar to him. She loved to gain more knowledge. She even liked talking about their lessons outside of classes. To Rin, he thought that Shizuka was a hard worker, and not easily given up. In less than two weeks, all the teachers made her one of their favorite students. Even though there were those who trying to bully her for being teacher's pet, Shizuka's childhood friends, along with Amaimon, the twins, and the rest of the cram school students stood beside her. Shizuka had made a great decision to be friends with them.

* * *

Lucifer was highly pleased to know this when she told him after he return a week later, especially when she made friends with his younger half siblings. Rin and Yukio had just awaken their powers recently. He had sent them a message to protect her when he wasn't around. Lucifer understood the risks; if he wasn't around, the risk for her being unprotected would be immense. As a pure hearted human, Shizuka would be an easy bait, and he couldn't risk losing her. Actually he could have asked his siblings for help, but they were also busy nurturing their descendants. So far, he had done a great job in covering her whereabouts from the dangerous demons he dealt with. She was safe for now, but how long would it last? He was grateful that the twins were willing to help him. He had consulted with his father, and Satan said that he had done the right thing to protect her. He had already known from the reports of his siblings that Shizuka was important to him, and he understood that the King of Light had bonded closely with the girl. Like Mephisto, he thought that something would happen between the two. It was only a matter of time before they know it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is probably shorter than the other ones, but I hope you like it. If any of you readers are Wiccans, I hope my explanation in the story is accurate enough. I'm open for all suggestions. By the way, I would like to know your advice for the story. Do you want me to give you some synopsis about what would happen in the next update? You can state your thoughts on the review. I can't wait to meet you guys. See you on the next one!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! Welcome to the new update. In this chapter, you'll see some interesting interaction between Lucifer and Shizuka, but it's unlike anything you have read in the previous chapters earlier. Enjoy!

It has been a month since Shizuka started her studies. Finally, the day had come for her. It was May 24th; her fifteenth birthday. Shizuka had decided that she would celebrate her birthday at the backyard of her house with the concept of outdoor parties. It would be held after school. She invited her friends both from regular classes and cram school to come over, and they were glad to fulfill her wish. Rin and Konekomaru even offered their help to bake her birthday cake. The others helped to put on the decorations on the backyard, led by Ryuji. She was also invited Mephisto and his siblings to come, which they did with immense pleasure.

She had invited Lucifer, but he was quite busy at the moment. He went to United States to meet the president. He asked some advice to the King of Light regarding the cautions if in case they faced another supernatural case. The strange incidents happened there was started to get often and the exorcists needed his suggestion. Things went well without many difficulties, but what hold him up was when the president decided to have a chat with him about Lucifer's personal life. He would like to talked to him, but perhaps another time.

"I'm very sorry Mr. President, but I have to go. I have some business at home", Lucifer politely refused.

"What kind of business?"

"I have to attend a party of my friend. I hope that we could talk longer during our next meeting."

"She must be dear to you", he laughed. "Alright, please go ahead."

"I'll see you soon", Lucifer stated. Lucifer was accompanied by Homare. After they stood at the entrance of the White House, they both disappeared in the flash of light. Without them know it, they arrived in Mephisto's office.

"So, whose party that you are going to attend, Lucifer-sama?" Homare inquired.

"Shizuka's. It's her birthday today. I need to change quickly and get the present I prepared for her. It's getting late, and I don't want to disappoint her."

After she was gone, Lucifer changed to his casual outfit and quickly grabbed the present that he was going to give to Shizuka. He already noticed that his siblings had left without him. As he looked at the clock, it was almost time. Damn it, he was going to be late! Mephisto would definitely going to give him a lecture by the time he arrived. He decided to teleport to her house.

* * *

Meanwhile, the preparations for the party was almost finished. Iblis stood impatiently with her brothers near the fence of Shizuka's house. "Damn it! Where is that idiot? The preparations are almost done, and the party is gonna start now."

"I don't know, Iblis. Let's be patient. I'm sure he will come", Azazel tried to calm her.

"Lucifer had never been like this before. What hold him up that made him this long? If he's late or even didn't come at all, Shizuka would definitely be disappointed", Astaroth wondered.

"I will make sure to remind him about punctuality", Mephisto huffed as he put a finger on his forehead. Then he saw the flash of light. "Well, I guess we don't have to wait anymore. I can see him coming."

Finally, Lucifer arrived. He looked exhausted. "I'm really sorry for being late! Has the party started yet?"

"Thankfully not yet. Do you know how long have we been waiting for you? Where the hell have you been?!" Iblis snarled and grabbed his shirt collar. She was definitely furious.

"I'm sorry, alright! I was busy earlier. I was just came home from my mission. I do remember that it's Shizuka's birthday today, and I have tried my best to get home early."

"Come on, Iblis. Let him go. It's better for us to join our siblings in the party than debating like this. At least Lucifer is here now", Beelzebub interfered between their argument. Finally, Iblis let him go.

"You're lucky that you are on time. You do realized that Shizuka is waiting for you, right? From all of us, she likes you the most. The party is on the backyard. Have you prepared your present for her?", Egyn questioned him.

"Of course, I have them with me. Let's just get there."

Then Lucifer and his siblings walked to her backyard. He could hear how crowded the situation there. Her friends must have been arrived in the first place. When they were on the spot, he observed some of her friends were arranging music playlists for the party. He thought of human music today to be very different than what he heard in the past but he didn't hate them. Actually he thought of them to be quite refreshing. He listened to classical ones most of the times, but sometimes he also listened to them to brighten up his mood.

The decorations for the party was fantastic. There was a big slide and a projector for watching movies and karaoke, wooden chairs and tables, all kinds of snacks, and hanging ornaments and lighting on the trees and poles with various shapes and sizes. It had a combination of vintage and minimalist vibes, but it looked sophisticated. Perfect for this early evening.

Her friends noticed that Lucifer had arrived, then one of them elbowed Shizuka. "Hey Shizuka-chan, he's here", Reina whispered to her.

* * *

As she turned her back to him, Lucifer was mesmerized. Shizuka wore a white sailor shirt and light blue mini skirt. Her feet were bare. She braided her long wavy hair for this occasion. The King of Light should have known that the girl he saved six years ago would grow up to be this lovely. Lucifer found it hard to averting his gaze from her. He suddenly felt nervous when she came to his direction.

"Hi Lucifer. I'm so glad you came", Shizuka greeted him.

"Hey", Lucifer smiled to her.

All of them cheered them, including his siblings. He couldn't believe that he was blushing for the first time, in front of his best friend too!

"I'm sorry if I'm a little late. I have business earlier."

"Don't worry, I can understand that. The party hasn't started either. You must be exhausted."

"A little, but I would never missed the party of my friend, especially this is her birthday."

As he told her that, Lucifer found that she was blushing either. He decided that he liked her being this way. She looked cute, especially when she bit her lower lip.

"Guys, gather around. I'm really glad for your help in arranging a party for Shizuka's birthday. I won't delay this any longer, because I know that you are impatient to enjoy this event. Let's get this party started!", Rin announced which responded by all of their cheering.

"Come on, Lucifer!", Shizuka invited him to come with her.

The party was outstanding. All of them were having fun. Renzou served as their DJ. Lucifer noticed how Shizuka enjoying it so much. Rin and Amaimon were having a dancing battle, which was enthusiastically watched by their friends.

He had a chance to see Shizuka and all of them in the karaoke session. She had a wonderful voice. He got to admit it, he liked it when she sing. He stared at her the whole time during the party.

"Enjoying the party, Lucifer?", Iblis questioned as she hold her glass of soda.

"Yeah, I'm having fun."

"Sorry I'm mad at you earlier. I didn't mean to. I was worried, because it took you so long to get here. I'm thinking of how Shizuka would feel if you didn't come."

"Don't joke around. Of course I would come. By the way, that's fine. I would feel the same way if I were you so no need to apologize."

"I never thought you would be this forgiving. Looks like she had a great influence on you", Iblis laughed at his words. She noticed the way Lucifer was staring at Shizuka. "She's beautiful for being a pure hearted girl, isn't it? You must have never thought she would grow up this way."

"I do. I don't know why, but since I arrived earlier I can't deny that I'm nervous around her. This is a first time for me. You're right, she's beautiful", Lucifer replied as he looked back at Shizuka. He was glad to see her being this happy.

Amaimon and the others who were observing him since the party started shocked him from behind by gripping his shoulders. Lucifer almost jumped out of his seat. He then scolded them.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"Oh come on, Lucifer. Just admit it. We saw the way you were looking at her. Even from the way you speak, it's obvious. You had a crush on her, don't you?", Renzou teased as all of them laughing at him.

Suddenly Lucifer stood from his seat with an exasperated look on his face. "Stop saying those words. I'm just happy to see her like this. Do you forget? My siblings and I had different emotions than you humans so don't think that I would feel the same as you."

"Yeah, keep tell yourself that." Renzou definitely wasn't buying it.

Lucifer sat back on his seat with a hand on his face. He didn't want to believe it, but maybe they were right. He felt nervous around her and it was hard for him stay calm when she was looking at him. This was so puzzling. He always thought that demons had different thoughts and emotions than humans, so why did he suddenly feel this way? During their friendship, Lucifer was always comfortable around her. Then he glanced at the boys who stood in front of her.

"Shizuka, come on. Could you at least accept one of us as your boyfriend?", one of her classmates approached her. Looks like they were confessing their feelings to her. Lucifer couldn't deny it, but he silently got jealous. Those two boys had been around her for some time. He wasn't surprised that so many guys would be interested in her with her exotic look.

"I'm really sorry guys, but I can't. I told you countless times that I want to concentrate on my studies first. That's what students like us do, right?" Shizuka tried to reject them.

"Can't you give us a chance? Lots of our friends are studying, and they still have time to spend with their couples."

"I'm sorry, but I can't. Would you excuse me? I have to go", she told them as she went.

She got tired with all of them chasing her. Those guys approached her since the first day of school. There were many other girls like her, so why can't they find another? She decided to find Lucifer. She needed to find a break and perhaps he could help her with that.

* * *

The King of Light saw her came to his direction. Lucifer observed her. Her movements as she walked looked so graceful. He suddenly felt nervous again, but he tried to cast it aside. Perhaps she needed something.

"Hey, what's wrong? Did something happen?", Lucifer couldn't help but feel concerned for her.

"Those guys were just kept on nagging me. They had confessed their feelings to me many times. It's getting harder for me to avoid them."

Lucifer smiled sadly at her. He could understand. He felt the same way either when he was around many girls. "If you want, you can sit next to me to calm yourself down."

Azazel and the others chuckled at the sight. These two were the same. Lucifer told them to leave by glaring at them which meant 'leave us alone or I will make sure to give you hell of a problem', and they left.

"Thanks Lucifer. You had been very understanding to me. Sorry if I troubled you", Shizuka told him as she looked at him in the eye.

"Don't worry about it. I'm here for you."

"Come to think of it, looks like we have the same experience. We are chased by many people."

Lucifer laughed after hearing her words. This was why he liked being around her so much. They were so similar with each other. "Yes, I guess we are."

"By the way, I saw your face earlier. You looked stressed out. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It was just my idiotic siblings teased me nonstop. You know them, they are pranksters."

"At least they care about you. That's what matters." Lucifer agreed with her words. Sometimes they could be exaggerated, but they were the best when it comes to dealt with problems. Perhaps he could asked them about his newfound feelings later when they can be serious in talking.

Shizuka then offered him a glass of soda, which he accepted with pleasure. But a moment after he drank it, he suddenly burped which made him embarrassed.

"Whoops! Sorry about that. I have never drank this before. I usually drink tea, coffee, and wine. But I think the taste is fine", Lucifer scratched the back of his head as she laugh at him. But he succeeded in cheering her up. He noticed how beautiful she was when she smiles.

Shizuka saw how much Lucifer had changed over the years. Now he was developed a decent sense of humor. She liked seeing him like this.

Suddenly Shura called for her. "Hey, birthday girl! Where are you? Come over now. The cake is here!"

Shizuka then stared at Lucifer. He nodded to her as he affirmed her wish for his company to go towards the crowd. All of them cheered at her as she went forward.

* * *

After cutting the cake, she gave two pieces of cake to her parents. Then she gave the next one to Lucifer. The King of Light was very bashful when she gave him one, but he was happy nonetheless. Then she divided all the pieces to her friends and the party continued.

Finally it was time to open the presents. She was so excited when she received many gifts from her parents and friends. They were so many she couldn't count them all one by one. From Mephisto, she gained an Xbox which she could use to play anytime she wanted with him and his siblings along with her friends. Shiro gave her a book related with Christianity exorcism. She got a bag of candies from Amaimon, which made all of them laughing considering how often Amaimon had gave them to Shizuka during her birthdays, but she liked it nevertheless. Renzou gave her an album from one of her favorite singers. She was very excited to get it and even managed to give him a hug. Her present from Izumo was a pack of Monogatari manga, while she had seeds of roses from Shiemi.

She had a special present from Lucifer. Lucifer gave her a silver thick rhinestone choker necklace and a novel that she had been waiting to buy : The Fault in Our Stars.

"Oh my God! Lucifer, thank you so much!"

"Don't mention it. If you want, I can help you to wear the choker."

She suddenly gotten shy. Lucifer had been very kind to her, and she didn't want to burden him any longer. She was pretty sure that the choker must be expensive.

"But Lucifer, is it okay? I mean..."

"I'm insist. Besides, I'm sure your friends would like to see you wearing it."

She let him helped her to wear the choker. He moved her hair from her neck, then tied the necklace. It was done.

Lucifer stunned once again as he looked at her appearance closely. She was even more beautiful wearing the present from him. He glad he picked up a good present for her. Azazel suddenly called him.

"Lucifer, I don't want to ruin your mood but I have news."

"What is it, Azazel?"

"You are summoned by Shemihaza. You are expected to be on the Vatican right away."

Lucifer felt a little troubled at the news. He didn't want to leave her, but Shemihaza needed him. He was confused about which one to choose. If Shemihaza called him, then it must be something important. He decided to tell Shizuka that he was leaving.

"Shizuka, I'm really sorry. I need to go. I am summoned by Shemihaza."

"Can't you stay for a little longer? Like, fifteen minutes?"

He felt he was aching when he heard her plead. But what other choice did he have? "I'm so sorry, but I'm afraid I can't. If one of the Grigori called me, then it must be urgent. I promise I'll see you soon."

"Okay then."

She accompanied him as he went through the fence of her house. Before he left, she hugged him and placed a peck of kiss on his cheek. Lucifer blushed at her treating. He never thought he would receive a surprise from her. Renzou who witnessed the scene was getting jealous. As Lucifer was in a daze, all people who present at the scene cheered on him.

"Be careful, Lucifer."

"I will."

Lucifer then stood with Mephisto and Azazel."Let's go."

* * *

In less than a second, as Mephisto used his key for them they were gone. Now, the three of them were at the Vatican. Azazel wore his attire as one of the Grigori, then told Shemihaza that Lucifer had arrived. Finally, both of them met.

"It has been a while, Shemihaza."

"It's good to see you again, Lucifer. Do you mind if we take a walk while we are talking?"

"I don't mind at all. Let's go."

Then both of them walked around the corridors of the Grigori Agency. The building was spacious and sophisticated.

"So, do you have any reason for summoning me? I'm sure it must be important", Lucifer solemnly stated.

"Of course. But first, I'm sorry for calling you without your notice beforehand. I'm sure you must have a business before you get here."

"I'm fine with it. I know how to manage my time when I was on duty and otherwise."

"I am very glad for your decision to be the ambassador. Thanks to you, now the demonic activities spread across most of the continent of this planet during these past six years had been decreased significantly. At least, the jobs of the exorcist are getting easier", the Emperor of Creation thanked him.

"I have the same vision as you. I also want to see the humans live in peace with us."

"I heard a rumor from the exorcists. They explain to me that you befriended a human, and not to mention a pure hearted one. It wasn't like you to be this tenderhearted."

"I saved her when she was in trouble. In return, she lent me her help in understanding humans. And just so you know, she is just an acquaintance. Besides, I'm still trying to find myself a bride." The Grigori could see right through his facade. Behind his stern words, he tried so hard to cover the girl.

Lucifer felt that Shemihaza hid something from him. "It's uncommon for you to ask something that personal. Is there something happening?"

Shemihaza became silent for a moment as he try to find perfect words in order to explain the things that happened recently. "Actually, something did happen. The exorcist recently reported the presence of a demon, powerful enough but just not as strong as you the Demon Kings."

Lucifer thought of his words. If there were demons almost as strong as the Baal, this could be a threat to his mission. "From what you said, it sounds like you mentioned the presence of one of a Demon Prince. They are almost as strong as us."

"That's why I'm worried. I have a feeling that perhaps that demon could be one of your offspring. But I am aware of your status now, so perhaps it could be the offspring from one of your siblings."

Lucifer suddenly felt apprehensive. Why did he had a bad feeling about this? "Why are you telling me this?"

"I'm aware that you have a pure hearted human close to you. I'm suggesting that you keep her by your side. I can feel the demon that we are about to face is hostile."

* * *

Meanwhile, in an unknown place a newly created Gehenna gate was opened. A demon who looked like a rascal young man shown to get out of it.

"Assiah. It has been a while." The demon smirked. "Time to have some fun."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think? I hope you like this chapter as much as I do. And now, who could the mysterious character be? That would be answered in future updates. This fic is intended for romance, and this is just the start! Don't forget to give me kudos and reviews. I'll see you next week!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you know, this chapter is pretty much similar to the scene in the manga when Yuri was sent to Mexico, but with some improvisation from me of course. Of course, Lucifer as the main protagonist is still available. Be prepared to see the back story of Homare! I make her background by myself. Enjoy!

Lucifer could not argue with Shemihaza. When he finally got back in Japan, the memory of his meeting with Shemihaza made Lucifer getting more cautious. What kind of demon that could make the Emperor of Creation that worried? He decided that it would be the best if Shizuka didn't know about this. When he asked about the matter to his siblings, Mephisto and the others said they didn't have any idea about the demon that Shemihaza mentioned, but they promised to inform him in case it appears. Lucifer deduced that this demon were either skillful in hiding its presence or just appearing itself in Assiah for a brief moment. He told all of them, including the twins to be well aware.

* * *

One day, he asked Homare, his closest bodyguard to come with him for helping him in his works. They went to the cafe where they usually visit. It was located not too far from the mansion. But she saw Lucifer being silent since they were arrived. He only drank his drink as he sat next to her. She became concerned.

"Lucifer-sama, are you alright? You seemed to be deep in thought", she questioned.

"Oh! I'm really sorry. It seems I mused again, isn't it?", Lucifer quickly apologized. One of his bad habits was to ignore his surroundings when he thought of many things.

"Yes. What happened? Got a rough day?

"No. It's just that so many things were on my mind these past few days. Sorry for making you worry."

"I see."

Suddenly his phone was beeping. By the time Lucifer took a look at it, it was a message from Shizuka.

_S : Hi, Lucifer! I'm so sorry if I disturb you during your work. How are you? Right now, my friend and I are a little busy. The cram school assigned us to go to Mexico next week. You know, missions and stuff. There's something going on in one of the historical sites there, and we're assigned to investigate. Rin and Renzou were feeling quite bored because of the mission details, but I'm really excited! This is going to be my first experience going overseas. Hope all goes well._

Lucifer smiled at the message.

_L : I can understand your excitement. I'm sure everything will fine. Be sure to make enough preparations before you go. And please, be careful._

_S : I will._

He chuckled by the time she sent him the smiley emoticon. Homare was getting curious at her master's antics. Who had a chat with him right now?

"Lucifer-sama, who's that? I had never heard you chuckling before."

"It was Shizuka. She told me about her mission. She will go with her friends to Mexico in a week."

Homare suddenly brooded as she heard of Shizuka. That girl again? Why does Lucifer suddenly likes talking about her a lot these days?

A moment of silence then happened between the two as Lucifer realized her change of behavior. "Homare, what's wrong? You can tell me. The news disturbing you, isn't it?"

"No Sir. It's nothing."

Lucifer sighed at her stubbornness. Sometimes she could be very hard to deal with. "No matter how hard you try to hide it, I can always see right through your facade. You don't really like Shizuka, right? I realized that since you met her. You always kept that cold expression whenever she's around."

"Can we get back to work on your documents, Sir? You asked me to come here because you needed my help", Homare reminded him, with the King of Light finally nodded. He always knew if she was becoming like this, she was trying to avoid the topic.

* * *

He still remembered when he first met Homare and her two comrades. Mephisto assigned three of them as his bodyguards. They were the Upper First Class Exorcists in the True Cross Order. Lucifer was quite cautious when she approached him at first. Humans, especially women were complicated to him. Homare tried so hard to convince him at the time that they were only trying to help. He must admitted, she worked hard for him during the first weeks of his adaption with modern Assiah. She gave him her respect, considering his issues in trusting people. In return, he decided to started trusting her, made her one of his sources in learning about humans and their way of life, including in politics. It was proven to be useful in his missions.

As the time went by, Lucifer started learning about her background. Her family had always known for their status of being famous exorcists inside the Order. Homare had similar circumstances with him; they were always expected to be the best, no matter of their condition. There were no space for mistakes or flaws in their jobs.

Homare Todo was the only daughter to one of the top member in the family. She didn't mention which ones who were her parents, but he didn't mind about it. When she was born, it turned out that she had the talent to be an Exorcist. The members immediately welcomed her in the family and forced her to study. Among her family, Homare was considered as a prodigy. She chose to be a future Knight and an Aria during her classes in True Cross Academy. When she finally graduated, she also became an Upper Class Exorcist like most of her family. But, she grew distant with her family afterwards and showed her signs of rebel by taking most of her duties outside of Japan.

Deep down, she didn't like and grew sick of her family as they were only thought of their position. This made her a cold, blunt, and hard person towards those she didn't share her views with.

Despite those traits, she was actually an accepting person. It was regrettable that she only showed them to few people; Lucifer, Renzou, Lund and Strom and the only person in her family : Saburota Todo, the one she called as her 'distant relative'. Particularly, she understood Saburota's situation. He had always been physically and emotionally abused for being weak by his brothers, Waro and Tsuguro. Saburota had always blamed himself for his weakness, especially when he told their family about him working as a teacher in the True Cross Academy. Homare decided to take him to meet the King of Light directly and explained the problem. Pitied, Lucifer finally enrolled him as the new addition to his bodyguards, to the pleasure and delight of the exorcist. Things proven to be better for him, as Homare saw how Saburota was always in the good mood when they were working together. Their family also approved of his improvements during his work.

She was quite close with Lund and Strom because they were constantly together since they started working on their mission in Sweden. These two were pretty much similar to her and their master. Renzou was quite a good company. When she found out about his background, she was respecting him for his position as the main member of Shima family in Kyoto, but she constantly reminded him to train his body to endure the pressure every time he summoned Yamantaka.

She showed different reaction when Lucifer introduced Shizuka to her. She didn't hate her, but she was doubtful at the girl because of her innocent nature. She silently got jealous when Shizuka told her about her family. Listening to her story made her reminded of the lack of affection from the rest of her clan. All they care about was power. Contrary to those around her, Homare didn't harassing her. She knew Lucifer didn't approach her for nothing, so there was must be something that caught his interest. But seeing her around Lucifer so often made her feel troubled.

Lucifer knew better that she was envious of her, but she didn't want to admit it because of her sentiment. Homare questioned her resolve when Shizuka planned to be an exorcist. She had learned from her experience that becoming an exorcist was highly risky. She thought that Shizuka would have to stop being innocent in order to be a proper exorcist.

* * *

Homare finally finished helping Lucifer with his files. "There you go, Lucifer-sama. All finished."

"Thank you", he replied softly as he stood from his place and went to the cashier to paying their lunch.

"Lucifer, wait."

He raised one of his eyebrows as she called him with his name. How odd. The only time she called him with his name was when she wanted to talk about important matters. "What is it?"

"Don't you feel tired talking about that girl over and over again? Do you... like her that much?", Homare asked carefully. She knew that Lucifer maybe became more open to others, but it would still take some effort to know about his personal businesses.

"Hmmm... How am I supposed to answer that?", Lucifer wondered aloud as he put his left index finger near his chin. His eyebrows furrowed as he pretended to think hard. This could be a good time to mess with her a bit. "If I tell you yes, what would you think?"

Homare suddenly taken aback. Was this his way to joke with her? She grew unsure of her own question as she cleaned her glasses. "I-I... I don't know. You are the one that supposed to answer me."

"But I'm your superior. It is my right if I want to answer you or not", he stated flatly, as he grew even more amused at her nervousness.

"I'm sorry. I should have remembered my place", she replied in shame. But she was surprised when she heard the King of Light laughing at her.

"I'm just messing with you. Seriously, Homare. You are too tense", Lucifer comforted her, as she blushed in front of him. "I do like her, but I still think of her as my best friend, so maybe... I don't know. Perhaps we'll just have to wait and see what's going to happen. Why? Are you jealous?"

Homare turned her head away from him in distaste. There was no way she would be jealous towards an innocent girl like Shizuka!

Lucifer snorted and smiled. _Predictable_ , he thought. But he decided not to get too far into her personal matters. "Alright, let's get going. Besides, you and your comrades still have to accompany me to Washington D.C."

"Of course, Sir."

* * *

Finally, the time for the Exwhires to started their mission was here. They departed from Japan at seven o'clock in the morning. During their departure, Shizuka and her friends discussed the plans for their mission. After all of them arrived, they were welcomed by the Mexican exorcists, and they went to the historical site that become the location of the supernatural activity. Shizuka had no idea what was going to surprise her.

* * *

While the Exwhires were preparing themselves to start the mission, Mephisto visited Lucifer after his diplomatic mission in the White House. He saw Lucifer and his guards stood in front of the gate. Lucifer became aware of his presence in an instant.

"Samael, what a surprise. What brings you here?"

"Hello, brother. I see you are done with your mission now."

"Yes. Now I'm about to go home."

Mephisto smirked. He had a plan for him. "Hey, instead of going home immediately, how about you come with me to observe? The Exwhires are in Mexico. I'm sure you probably curious to at least seeing them in a mission."

Lucifer could see the meaning through his words. Perhaps, his suggestion could be a good idea. Besides, he was curious about how were Shizuka and her friends doing. "Alright, I'll come with you."

"Great! Let's go then! Eins, zwei, drei!"

In an instant, all of them were in the historical site. The King of Light could see how busy the exorcists and all the Exwhires. They were setting up their tents and prepare necessary equipment for this case. Then he saw a girl who was very familiar to him. She wore her outfit as an Exwhire like her friends. It was Shizuka.

* * *

Shizuka who was helping her friends in preparation of the equipment suddenly sensed someone was watching her back.

"Lucifer! I can't believe it! You are here!", she happily cried as she ran towards him. Lucifer knelt as she hug him. "Hello, Shizuka. It's good to see you."

Their interaction caught the attention of all the exorcists. They have heard of Lucifer and his relation with her. Of course, they would have never thought a cold hearted demon like him would befriend a human.

"I thought you are on a mission! What are you doing here?"

"Well, my mission was finished sooner than I thought. When I was about to go home, Samael came over and invited me to come here. So, I guess I'll observe you."

"Oh my goodness, I'm so glad you came! Come on!"

Shizuka showed him places around the site. She showed him their tents, the equipment storage, and the places where they kept the supplies. Of course, Homare, Lund, and Strom also came along. Lucifer greeted Amaimon and the twins as he met them. He observed there were so many exorcists from various countries gave their reinforcements. He was surprised to see Yuri.

"Lady Yuri, it's a great honor to meet you again", he bowed to the Queen of Gehenna.

"Oh, hello Lucifer. I see you are being formal as usual", Yuri replied as she chuckled. "How is your mission? I imagine Mephisto must be inviting you to come here."

"He was. My mission went well. Now there are no demons causing any strange incidents in America, particularly in Connecticut. If I may ask, what makes you coming here? I'm certain if you are here, father would not be far from here."

"Yes. He is in the tent. I come here in case something happens. You know me as both first and second class Tamer."

Lucifer was well aware of the fact. He knew of her background before she was in a relationship with the god of Gehenna. "What is happening in here that made so many exorcists come over?"

"Come with us", Ryuji showed the way. As they walked, Lucifer saw an Indian-American exorcist. "This is Osceola Redarm. He is one of the Arc Knights, and he came from the Mexican branch."

"Pleased to meet you, Lucifer", the man bowed to him.

"Can you explain what is happening in here?"

"Of course, but first allow me to show you something." Then not too far from their location, he pointed his finger to a giant statue that looked like a lion. The statue was made out of stone, and there were lichens covering it. "That statue is our main problem. Two weeks ago, there was a group of tourists reported to us that they were attacked in this place. They said that the statue came to live. The other exorcist are here because this case happens in the same time with annual meeting of the exorcists from many parts of the globe. Not to mention, they would like to see how the Exwhires working together in their mission."

As Lucifer thought of the matter, suddenly someone shouted. "We need reinforcements immediately! The statue is running on a rampage again!"

"Everyone, this is your time. Prepare yourselves! We are about to face a mad living statue, so try to not get too close to it! Remember, use the maneuver that we have discussed", Shura commanded them.

Then they ran out of the tent. Lucifer saw them trying to exorcise the demon. All the exorcists gave everything they had, weapons and familiars to face the demon. He saw the Exwires worked side by side. What interested him, was when Shizuka helped her teammates by summoning a creature that appeared so similar to an ancient Greek goddess. Mephisto told him that it was Hecate.

They were having a trouble, because while they were exorcising the demon they must not destroyed the relic.

"Sir, do you want us to help them?" Lund asked for permission.

"You can go if you want to. I'll be fine here."

After his guards came out to follow their comrades, he heard a chuckle. "My, my, Lucifer. I never thought you would be here."

Lucifer turned his back and found that it was Satan. "Father, I'm not surprised. It seems that you are only here for Lady Yuri and the twins."

"Oh, come on. This is me, came over to see all of you, and this is how you greeted me? It seems that being around humans change your behaviors, although it is to be expected. You hang around so much with that girl. Shizuka-chan, am I right?", Satan deduced as he snickers.

Lucifer didn't think his father would think anything ridiculous about them. Indeed, he saw her as a friend. But why did his heart beating so fast when his father mentioned her?

"Shizuka, get away from there!", Rin called out to her. Hearing Rin's shout, he quickly came out of the tent to see the situation. Thankfully, Amaimon got on time to save her.

But as he tried to make sure her condition, Satan asked, "Where do you think you are going? Do you want to see the girl? I have never thought you would care so much for her. You still remember of what I told you, right?"

"Father, please! We can talk about this later. She's important to me. I need to make sure that she's fine!"

Satan was shocked at his sudden remark. Usually Lucifer never attempted to argue or even trying to fight him. He decided to let this go, at least for now. "Alright, go ahead. But you owe me an explanation."

Lucifer quickly ran to see Shizuka. She was fine so far, but what confused him was the way she gazes her eyes at the statue.

"Shizuka, what is it?", Yukio questioned her.

"That demonic statue, it's a golem. Don't you think that it's odd to see the way it behaves? I'm pretty sure that it must be attacking humans because something was happening before we arrive."

"We don't have time for this! This is too dangerous, girl! What are you thinking?", Shura reprimanded her.

"I'm going to find out what is going on. Lucifer, you told me that a pure hearted human like me is irresistible to demons, right?"

"Indeed, but what are you planning?"

"I'm going to calm it down first, then I'll try to find what is happening that made it being hostile towards us. It seems that the demon was angered because we attacked it and using violence. I want to try a different approach in order to exorcise it."

Now the exorcists thought of her suggestion. This could be a good alternative to face the demon. Osceola commanded all the exorcists to stop firing the demon.

Shizuka stepped towards its way. It saw her came, and it quickly charges to her direction. All of them were freaked out spontaneously.

"Lucifer, why do you just standing here? Help her!" Rin urged his oldest half brother as he held his sword and prepared to attack. Satan's flame spread across his entire body.

"I don't think we need to do anything. She know what she was doing", Lucifer replied, although he felt a little tense.

Shiro and the upper first class exorcists immediately prepared their guns, but Shizuka prevented them from doing so. "Everyone, low your weapons! Firing it will not going to solve anything. I know what I'm doing!"

Then, as it appeared to get closer, suddenly it changed its shape and stopped in front of her. Everyone was perplexed at the turn of events.

"Calm down now. I'm not going to hurt you." The statue that had reverted itself to a smaller size lowing its head. It sniffed her for a moment and suddenly bowed, so Shizuka could pat it. She laughed. "It seems that you are not as dangerous as people thought. I can't believe it!"

"It seems that she is an interesting person, just like Yuri. What would you say?" said Satan, as he appeared next to Lucifer and chuckled at the sight.

"She is", Lucifer replied.

"She does reminded me of someone", Shiro added, made Yuri turn her eyes at the three of them with an exasperated look.

Lucifer had never encountered a sight like this before. She was right; people needed to face many things with calm and clear mind.

"Okay, now what is your problem? Perhaps I can help", Shizuka questioned the demon, which it complied by lowering its head, so she could take a closer look. Now she finally found the source of the problem. There was a big seal embedded on it, that appears to be incomplete. Then she managed to pulled it off, which made the statue returned to its dormant state.

"What is it, Shizuka-san?", Konokemaru got near her along with the exorcists.

"Take a look at this", Shizuka showed them all the seal. They were all surprised at the item she showed them. "This place must have been used in the past for religious ceremonies and rituals. This statue here acted as a guardian. I think you guys remember that during history, people believe that these kinds of demon statue were able to secure sacred places. Golems are able to recognize human's true nature."

"I agree. The closest thing I can deduce, maybe there were conflicts happened between the native tribes in this place and they were trying to take this golem away as one of the prizes of war, that's why the seal is incomplete. This golem has been active for centuries, and might be looking for help to return to its original state", Homare added, as Shizuka nodded with her.

"That sounds logical. Then I think it would be the best if we make some kind of caution for tourists when they were visiting again", Osceola concluded. "Good work. You and your friends are very helpful. We are deeply grateful."

Shizuka was blushing when her friends congratulated her while the exorcists and the Demon Kings, including Satan gave them all an applause. But Suzuki, who was one of the Exwhires in their class taunted her, "It must have been a beginner's luck. I'm truly wondering what would happen if Lucifer-sama is not here. Actually, she's a weakling if her friends are not around."

Rin and the others were enraged at her taunting. "Why you, foul human girl! Take back your words!", Amaimon prepared to give her a lesson. Amaimon, despite his uncaring look was actually very attentive, especially to his closest ones like Mephisto. He just didn't show it on his face; a common nature among demons.

"No, Amaimon. I'll take it from here", Shizuka cut his action. Then she faced Suzuki. "I can be successful because I'm cooperating with my friends and the other exorcists. Meanwhile, I don't see you doing anything during our mission."

"I refused to work together with you weirdos. Especially, a witch like you."

Lucifer felt like something inside him snapped when she bullied Shizuka. Like Amaimon, he would love to take her on, but he knew better that Shizuka didn't like to use violence. As Suzuki was about to slap her, Shizuka caught both of her hands and glared. Suddenly she felt a strong gust of wind pushed her far away from Shizuka when she let her go. This surprised all people present on the scene.

"What was that?", Lucy Yang, the exorcist from the China branch wondered of the incident earlier. It seemed that Shizuka hid such a strong power behind her kindhearted nature. Lucifer knew exactly what was going on; she was using her magic to protect herself. She went back with her friends, leaving the confused Suzuki behind.

"Shizuka, did you just use your powers earlier?"

"Yeah, Shiemi. I really can't stand her bullying me again. She had already despised me since our first day in the cram school."

What shocked her, was when Lucifer went to her way and hugged her closer to him. "I'm glad that you are okay. I'm really worried to see you stand by yourself facing that giant. What concerned me more, when I saw you being bullied again. I'm so happy to see you being this strong, considering now I'm not that often being around you. Looks like your friends and teachers taught you well."

"You don't have to worry. I can defend myself. Besides, I'm not alone", Shizuka assured him as she pointed at Rin, Shura, and those close to her. Lucifer smiled at her words.

The exorcists were surprised hearing his words. It seemed that the King of Light could only be gentle whenever he was around her. He definitely had changed since his appearance six years ago. Arthur August Angel, the present Paladin commented, "This girl is actually powerful, despite being a pure hearted person. She could be a great asset in the True Cross Order."

Lucifer thought otherwise. "I wholly disagree! I will not let you use her like she was some kind of tool or a weapon! She's a young girl, for goodness sake! I can't stand seeing that you are willing to do anything to get what you want, including using other people for your objectives."

"Like you are not acting that way! Even though you're the ambassador, I will never accept you as one of us! You are still the same like what I learned all those years ago. You're a maniac!"

Shizuka immediately went to his side when The King of Light was about to clenched his fists. "Lucifer, wait! Please, don't be mad at them."

"How can I be calm, Shizuka, if I saw you being used that way? I want you to do something because you really want to, not because of being forced by others."

"Don't worry about me. It's my duty to help others. I know exactly how to realize if I'm being used or not."

Her words did calm him a little, but he became silent as he suddenly realized something. He couldn't believe that he showed his emotions in front of many people. He didn't show the changes of his demeanor in front of her. "Good, because if I know that someone else forcing you or even abuse you to do something, I will not stay idle."

Satan who observed Lucifer noticing his behaviors as he walked away. He had never been like this before. Satan exchanged glances with Mephisto and Amaimon. Perhaps it would be better to leave him alone for a while. Nevertheless, they thought of the same thing inside their minds : Shizuka ignited something in Lucifer, that was able to make the King of Light to be so impulsive.

Shizuka was shocked when Homare tapped on her shoulder. "Uuuh... Hello, Homare." She was even more confused when Homare gave her hand to her.

"Congratulations. It seems that I was wrong about you. You are not as meek as I thought. I should have known that you are that powerful. Sorry for the misunderstanding this whole time. Actually, I'm just jealous. Unlike you, I have lost my sense of youthfulness when I started studying to become an exorcist. I hope you would forgive me."

"I have already forgiven you!", she replied as she laughed at Homare's sudden shyness. "Come on, help us clean this place. We need a little hand in securing the relic."

"Okay then."

Lucifer, who had calmed himself down, silently grinned as he observed the interaction happened between the two from one of the tents. It was about time for Homare to settled her silent conflict with her. He had always known that she actually like Shizuka. She was just needed a little convincing.

* * *

The next day, all of them went to the beach. They decided to relax before going back to Japan. Lucifer, Mephisto, Amaimon, Rin, and Yukio wore their trunks. Lucifer himself wore a navy trunks, and still showed his tail. Actually he didn't want to change his clothes, but Rin and Amaimon scolded him, so he finally relented to their words. Lots of women were screaming in excitement at his appearance.

"Look at Lucifer-sama!"

"He's so handsome! Do you see his body?"

"I would love to be his girlfriend. I'm sure that he is single!"

He could only shook his head at their reactions. He already knew this was going to happen, so he decided to ignore them. And it worked, until he heard the whistling from the boys.

"Wow, look guys!"

As he turned his back, he was in shock. Shizuka and her friends were using bikinis. Shizuka wore a set of white and red striped bikini. So many men were whistling to her as she walked. Lucifer couldn't take his eyes off of her.

She was blushing all the way, because she didn't use to wear this kind of clothing. Lucifer saw her getting uncomfortable with the whistling, and he also didn't like the way they were looking at her, so he decided to approach her.

"Hey Shizuka. Are you alright?"

"Oh! I'm okay. It's just that this is the first time for me dressing like this on a beach. It seems that you are uncomfortable with those girls."

"You have no idea", Lucifer laughed. "I heard that those men were whistling at you. I don't like the way they behaved."

"Nah, I don't pay them any attention. Do you want to play beach volleyball? Come on, this will be fun."

As they played along, Lucifer felt at ease. Mephisto seemed to care about his well-being, and he was glad to know that. Then, Renzou commented Shizuka and her friend's appearances. "You girls are such a beautiful sight to behold."

"Renzou, you better stop referring them in such a way. That was uncalled for", Lucifer rebuked him, and he apologized.

* * *

Now, it was time to go home. They were accompanied by the Mexican exorcists as they were also thanked for their help. When they were in the airport, Shizuka noticed that her phone was ringing.

"Hello?"

_"Hello sweety, where are you now?"_

"I'm going home now, mom. I'm in the airport with my friends."

_"Thank goodness. You must hurry. We heard news about your grandparents in Greece. They passed away."_

Shizuka felt like her heart was stabbed when she heard of the news. She fell on the floor as she continued listening to the news and cried after the phone was off. This quickly gained Lucifer's attention, along with Amaimon and her friends.

"Shizuka, what happened? Why are you crying?", Homare inquired her.

"I... I can't believe it. My parents... They told me on the phone that my grandparents in Greece were passed away. My mom told me that they died of old age."

Lucifer quickly pulled her into his arms and comforted her. Shizuka hold him tight and buried her face in his chest as she wept. He didn't quite get the idea of loss and mourning, since he and the other demons were immortals, despite them could change their vessels as they pleased. But he knew that it must be painful for humans to lost those who are precious to them. He was in pain seeing her sobs. "That's okay. Don't hold back your tears. We are here for you."

"Shizuka, do you want to have some time off from school?", Mephisto questioned her.

"Yes, perhaps a week. I hope you don't mind. I want to stay close with my family first."

"That's alright. We'll inform the teachers about your absence. We will also let you know if there is any assignment from school", Yukio patted her shoulders.

"Don't worry, Shizuka-chan. Take your time. We are here whenever you need anyone to talk to", Shura consoled her.

* * *

Inside the airplane, Lucifer saw Shizuka fell asleep since their departure. It was clear that her grief took a toll on her. He still remembered when she told him of her grandparents. They lived in Athena, and they were the parents of her father. Like most of their family, they were Christians. But their family can tolerated their beliefs as Wiccans. They even helped them to find a coven to interact with the other believers. Shizuka was very close with them. They didn't mind with her passion to be an exorcist as long as she remained careful. Of course, she had told them about Lucifer as well. At first, they were surprised that she became friends with the demon and demanded to stay away from the King of Light, but they soon accepted her words that Lucifer was protecting her.

After they were arrived in Japan, her parents had already been waiting for her. She took a week off, but Rin and the others kept her updated about the news in their school. She also let them know of her activities in Athena. When she finally returned, they were glad to see her becoming cheerful again. She even gave them souvenirs, which they accepted with pleasure.

Lucifer kept thinking of her well-being while she was away, and to be honest, he felt lonely when she wasn't around. He was glad to see that now she was alright. Without him knowing it, his feelings started to grow.

* * *

Meanwhile, a young demon visited Mephisto in the mansion.

"Hello."

"Oh, it's you. Welcome to Assiah, my son."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uugh, somehow this chapter gave me some problems when I first wrote it. At least, I have tried my best. i hope that you're okay with this story tho. I'm still working on my way to describing the characters' emotions better.
> 
> As the spoiler for the next update, the mystery character will finally revealing itself. I have given you the first clue : it is Mephisto's offspring. Come on guys, I would like to see how well you can guess this mystery character! If you're succeeded, I will give you a credit and updating the next chapter sooner.
> 
> Dont forget to give me kudos and reviews! I'll see you guys next time!


	9. Chapter 9

Lucifer was preparing himself for the day. It was Saturday, and he always came out of the mansion for a walk. The King of Light used his time to relax, since he usually working on nights in the time like this. But first, he would like to visit Shizuka. He had promised to take her out, and he couldn't wait to meet her. After being left for a week to mourning, he thought that perhaps he could spend his time with her. Besides, he has got nothing to do until tonight, and he was longing for her company.

He got out of his bathroom. As he dried his hair, he wore his favorite teal sleeveless sweater and white collared shirt. He had already thought of where would they go.

* * *

_"Hey Shizuka, do you want to go on a picnic?", Lucifer talked on the phone the night before._

_" Sure! Let's go together to the nearby park for our picnic. I'll bring the food."_

* * *

She must have been waited for him in her house by now.

However, when he got out of his room he saw a good-looking young man that was very familiar to him. A young demon, to be exact. He possessed a shoulder-length brown hair. He had a pair of black eyes and brown complexion. He was shown to watch a show on the TV, and he ate a bowl of ramen. His tail swayed gently as he sit. He was aware of Lucifer looking at him.

"Ah, hello uncle Lucifer! Good morning!"

Lucifer stunned at his appearance. He didn't thought that he would meet his nephew. "Asmodeus? What are you doing in here?"

"I came here for sightseeing in Assiah, of course. I'm bored in Gehenna. It was great that grandpa allow me to come here. I can meet many beautiful girls!", Asmodeus got excited.

Lucifer raised one of his eyebrows and sighed at Asmodeus' antics.

Asmodeus was the son of Mephisto. He was one of the Demon Princes of Gehenna, and known as the Prince of Lust. Unlike the Demon Kings, Demon Princes didn't necessarily required a vessel in order to appear in Assiah, but they could still possessing humans if they wanted to.

Lucifer observed that he was using his usual form like in Gehenna. Like his title, Asmodeus was fancy of young and beautiful girls, no matter if they were human or demon. So far, Lucifer knew that Asmodeus had so many lovers and mates, even in Assiah that he had already lost count; and only God knows how much incubus, succubus, and nephilims did he have. Lucifer was very close with him, although he reminded his perverted nephew to get himself some self control. But in usual cases, he was known to be friendly; or at least, that's what Asmodeus thought in his mind.

"You look good, uncle! Where are you going?"

"I'm going on a sightseeing. Have you meet your uncles and aunt by the time you came here?"

"Of course! I met them since I was here a week ago. When I came here last week, I stayed in the place of one of my mates. I was planning to meet you, but unfortunately they told me that you are busy. No wonder I couldn't find you in Gehenna. Seriously, uncle. So many lower demons in Gehenna were questioning your decision. Why would you want to be a peace representative?"

"I want to see our kind live side by side in peace with humans. That's all. By the way, I should get going. I'll talk to you later."

"Suit yourself. And have a good day!", Asmodeus replied in his usual laid-back demeanor.

Lucifer quickly came out of the mansion and headed towards Shizuka's house. He hope that he didn't make her waiting for him for too long.

* * *

When he arrived, Shizuka was sitting on a bench of her front yard and she had a basket full of foods for their picnic.

"Hi Lucifer", she greeted him.

"Hey. How long did I make you waiting?"

"Actually, I was just finished making foods for our picnic, so you don't need to worry."

Lucifer saw she was getting even more beautiful day by day. She wore a pink dress that reached her knees and a pair of white flat shoes. She let her hair loose. "You know, you look lovely", Lucifer complimented her, turned his face away. It was definite that he was blushing, and his whitish complexion didn't help in this case. He was certain that his face must be as red as a tomato right now.

"Um... Thanks. You look good. Are you ready now? We better get there before the park is full of people."

"Of course. Let's go."

* * *

When they went to the park, the place was already crowded. So many people were preparing their mats for picnic, and the sellers established their tents. Luckily, both of them were able to find a vacant space. Shizuka made sandwiches, chocolate chip cookies, and creme brulee. She also brought two bottles of orange juice and water.

As they enjoyed their picnic, Shizuka saw that Lucifer clearly revel in the sight of seasonal change from spring to summer. Both of them felt comfortable with each other as they sit close so other people could also gained some space.

When she sit even closer to him and put her head on his shoulder, Lucifer was staggered. She looked comfortable near him, and she looked at him in the eye with her innocent gaze.

Lucifer felt nervous. He had never been on this situation, and he realized he had a hard time to swallow his drink. His face got even redder. He was aware with the accelerated beating of his heart.

The King of Light silently thought of this situation. This was awkward on his part, that is. Why did he becoming this giddy? His feelings were torn between trying to get away from her or stayed put. But he knew that if he moved away, she would question his moves. He tried to calm his erratic breathing. It seemed Shizuka didn't realize how she made him feel at the moment.

"Lucifer, are you okay?", Shizuka questioned him, as she moved her head away from his shoulder.

"I-I'm alright. No-nothing to worry about", Lucifer stuttered. Nothing seemed able to help him drive his attention away from her.

They continued their picnic in silence. He enjoyed the foods and beverages that she had prepared, but he felt bad for making the situation awkward between them. Then, Shizuka asked him, "Do you have any mission again today?"

"I do, but I will go tonight. I will go to the Chiba Prefecture to make sure of some things, so nothing serious. Why?"

"I'm just wondering. You look silent these past two weeks. I hope I don't cause you any inconvenience, considering that you are busy."

"No, you didn't do anything. Don't worry about it!", Lucifer quickly replied. "I'm really sorry. It's just that I have so many things to think of. Especially with what happened during my meetings with Shemihaza and Armumahel."

Well, he didn't lie on that. He did have so much things on his mind. He didn't feel burdened much by his missions but he thought of what was happening in the mansion; Asmodeus' sudden arrival.

Lucifer thought of why didn't he noticed that his nephew would came over. Usually, if someone was coming, Satan or his siblings would let him know. He just hope that with Asmodeus was here, nothing bad would happen. He had a feeling that perhaps Asmodeus was the demon that Shemihaza mentioned. Besides, maybe Asmodeus was weaker compared to the Demon Kings and usually pretty laid-back, but he could be a dangerous opponent when he gets serious in battles especially him being Mephisto's son. No wonder Satan chose him to be the leader of the Demon Princes. _There is something odd going on around here_ , Lucifer thought. "Shizuka, I want to remind you. You still remember of what I told you when we first met, right?"

"I do."

"I want you to be careful. Like I said that time, there are many demons that perhaps were even more dangerous and brute despite being weaker than me. I don't want to see you getting hurt, especially with your nature. Promise that you will tell me in case something happens. And please, don't trust strangers too easily. We would never know whether they are human or demon."

Shizuka felt that he was trying to tell her something, but she couldn't figure out what it was. She was wondering why Lucifer becoming like this all of the sudden. Nonetheless, she always knew that he only meant what is best for her, and he always had logical reasons for his actions. Since they became friends, despite him kept some things to himself, he was always being honest with her. "Alright, I promise."

* * *

Then he prepare to went to the destination for his mission in Chiba. Before he left, he realized that only Asmodeus were present at home. He told him that Mephisto went on a family trip, and the rest of his siblings came along. Lucifer requested him to watch over the mansion while he was away, and Asmodeus promised to do as told; although it was quite unlikely that things would go as planned. Asmodeus, beside of being a pervert was also known to be a wild card.

* * *

When he was on the scene, Lucifer knew from the exorcists that a high school boy was possessed by a demon, possibly came from the class of presidents, but fortunately the exorcists had already took care of the problem so he was just making sure that the said demon didn't return.

* * *

By the time he returned to Tokyo, he heard a fussing in the mansion. When he opened the door, his eyes went wide. The entire rooms were in mess. So many ribbons and decorations were on the floor. The spilled drinks and leftover foods were all over the place. The music was so loud, he felt his head would explode. What made things worsen, he saw that Asmodeus was surrounded by so many young women, and he was kissing one of them.

Okay. This was too much to him. He had to do something.

"What is going on in here?!", Lucifer made his voice known to everyone in the room.

Asmodeus and his lovers were scared when they heard his voice. "Asmodeus-sama, who is that?"

"Oh shit, this isn't good. That's my uncle, Lucifer, the King of Light. I didn't expect him to come home so soon."

Asmodeus had never seen his uncle being so furious. He usually saw his uncle as a calm person in almost every situation, so the sight of Lucifer getting angry at him made the Prince of Lust becoming apprehensive.

Lucifer could not believe the sight! Asmodeus held a party, and he invited his lovers to came over. He didn't want to see this turned into something worse, an orgy. Mephisto definitely would not be pleased. "By the time I count to three, I want everyone here get out of this house!", he roared.

Hearing his tone, the women freaked out and started running out of the mansion. They were so frightened, one of them were actually slipped while running. That should done it! Then he turned his gaze to his trouble making nephew. "Asmodeus, I thought I told you to keep the mansion in perfect condition. Instead, you didn't do everything as I say. Why is that?"

The Prince of Lust was really scared to death. His uncle was staring at him with his cold eyes; so cold he felt like his soul was pierced. This boy was definitely in trouble. Asmodeus gulped at his uncle's tone. "I'm sorry, uncle. I was quite bored, and I forgot about what you told me."

"You could have done something better while I was away instead of doing this, like reading, watching TV, or cleaning! You are far worse than Astaroth and Amaimon themselves teamed up! Do you forget? This is your father's place! Be respectful!"

"No way I would do that! I'll be! I'm not like you! Besides, I do remember in the past that father also used to be like me", Asmodeus retorted.

Lucifer narrowed his eyes at his ignorant nephew. Sometimes Asmodeus needed to be taught a lesson. "I honestly don't care about any of that. Now, I want you to clean this place until your father and my siblings came home. Do you understood?", Lucifer ordered in a constant tone.

"Y-yes, uncle."

Even in his calm state, Lucifer was still able to intimidating people. "Good, I don't want to see this sight in the future ever again. If you repeat this, I'm afraid I will have to tell my father about what you were doing."

"Please, please! Don't tell grandpa about this. I promise!"

"Then clean this place up! I don't want to see any dust, ribbons, or spilled drinks all over the place! I suggest you do it now."

"Party crasher", Asmodeus grumbled as he started cleaning.

"What was that?"

"Nothing~", Asmodeus idly said.

Sometimes Asmodeus wondered if his uncle could be relax at times. He brushed the thought off of his mind. His uncle, Lucifer was actually a good company, but he was too tense at times, and Asmodeus hated it when he had to deal with Lucifer's particular side.

Meanwhile, Lucifer started to feel his head pounding. Actually he did like Asmodeus and they were close relatives, but sometimes he hoped that he could be more refined, especially when it comes to women.

Lucifer still remembered of how the Prince of Lust look at every beautiful young women that he met. He only saw their feminine figure and thought of how would he going to take them as his.

Asmodeus' reputation as a playboy was well-known among demons in Gehenna. There were no days without the gossips of him took the mates of other demons. Taking the mates of other demons was considered as forbidden, and also shameful in demon etiquette. Lucifer had tried to teach him to be more respecful and acted according to his title, but Asmodeus was known as a rebel. Lucifer himself thought of women as creatures who deserved a good treating, and he didn't thought of claiming them to be an easy matter despite his handsome looks. He believed that women weren't born only for reproductive purposes once they were in close and romantic relationships with men, but he was aware that if they had a special someone, then they deserved to be protected. It seemed that Samael spoiled him too much. No wonder he became what he is now. Besides, he inherited his perverted nature more from his father, despite his mother was actually the same.

He decided to take a bath before checking on Asmodeus and went to sleep.

* * *

A few minutes later, Lucifer changed his clothes. Now he was feeling better. Suddenly, his phone was ringing. And it was not just any call; a video call from Shizuka.

" _Hi Lucifer!_ "

"Hey. How are you doing?"

" _I'm pretty fine. The twins and my other friends came over to study together. It went pretty good, and we were just finished. How is yours?_ "

"Not so good. It's not that the mission was difficult or anything. I just need a rest, don't worry about me."

" _Oh poor you. I hope you will feel better soon_ ", she told as she smiled at him.

Lucifer's heart beated slightly faster hearing her words. He had to admit, the soft tone of her voice made his mood getting even better. He felt he was at peace every time she spoke or meet him. He would like to do something for her in return, but now he wanted to rest. "Thank you, Shizuka. I appreciate your attention."

" _You're welcome. Take a rest, Lucifer. Don't strain yourself too much._ "

"I believe I'm the one who should told you that. But thanks", Lucifer said as both of them were laughing. Oh, what would he do without her? If he didn't meet her in the first place, perhaps he would be insane right now.

As he laid on his bed, he thought of the whole thing he had experienced. He realized that he couldn't stop thinking about her day and night. Every time they became close with each other, he was nervous and excited at the same time. He couldn't understand his feelings, and he felt that this was starting to happened more often. Perhaps it would be better to talk to Azazel and the others when all of them got home. He also needed their help in dealing with Asmodeus.

* * *

Unknown to Lucifer, Asmodeus were actually listening to what happened inside his room. He questioned himself about who did he talking with. He was listening while he was also continuing his job. For the first time, he heard his uncle laughing! Who could possibly made him acted that way? "Uncle Lucifer, I'm finished with cleaning now", Asmodeus informed him behind the door of his room.

"Alright, wait for a moment. I'm coming out." As he went out to check his work, he was amazed. Asmodeus were actually able to do something right for once in a while. The place was spotless. "I'm impressed. Good work, Asmodeus."

He only snorted at Lucifer's compliment. Of course he could! Lucifer thought that actually Asmodeus could be a compliant person; he just needed someone tough enough to teach him manners. "Uncle, I would like to ask you something."

"Ask away."

"I heard so many rumors about you while you are in Assiah. I would like to know if this one is right or not. Is it true that you are befriended a human?"

Lucifer felt like he was struck by a lightning. He knew something like this would happen. It was only a matter of time, but he didn't thought it would be this soon. He hope that Asmodeus wouldn't realize the change of his facial expressions. He was usually known as the master of emotional disguise, and he wanted to keep it that way. "Pardon?"

"I said, is it true that you are befriended a human, and not to mention a pure hearted one?", Asmodeus questioned him with a devilish grin. Lucifer didn't like the look on his face.

"It is false. I am only working with the humans that are related with my mission. I don't have any special relation with one of them. I'm sure you remember my true nature", Lucifer replied with a grim look on his face.

"Of course, uncle. I was just curious. If it's true, I would like to meet them."

He didn't like this. He felt like he was being interrogated. "Like I said, the rumor is false. Do I have to make things clearer?"

Asmodeus clearly wasn't buying it. His uncle was hiding something. If he told him that he had no relation with any human, then why did he laughing while he was on the phone? The prospect of this chain of events was promising. This could be a good time for him to play. But he decided to leave this issue for now. He was certain things would get clearer in due time. "Of course, I understand."

"Good, and I suggest you to cease this kind of talk. You know I hate gossiping."

Asmodeus nodded as he watched his uncle returned to his chamber. But before he got in, Asmodeus told him something even shocking, "Oh, I almost forgot one more thing! Uncle, grandpa asked me to inform you; he was getting impatient so you better be hurry."

* * *

After Lucifer was back in his room, he was agitated. Damn his father! Satan must have leaked this information to the lower demons. Of course he would. He saw what happened when they were in Mexico. It seemed now that the King of Light were getting closer with the girl, the god of Gehenna couldn't wait to announced his relationship and see him with a lover on his side.

This was not how relationships working! He didn't quite like to make people do as he please, especially one like Shizuka. Now he realized that the girl he was started to attracted to was in grave danger. Sometimes he hated it when his father was using force to get what he wanted. His father's attitude was considered to be quite childish to Lucifer. He was glad that the lower demons deemed him, the King of Light, as the most mature of them all. But now he thought of how was he going to protect Shizuka. He knew the possibility of what would happened if the demons, especially one like Asmodeus found her. She could be hurt, or even worse, killed! He felt his eyes started to water, and without doing anything to hold himself, the usual emotionally strong King of Light was crying for the first time. His heart was breaking, and he was confused with the situation he was in now. "Shizuka... I'm so sorry. Now because of me, you are in danger. If only we never met each other years back then, none of this would happen. I don't want to see you getting hurt. What should I do?"

He hated this! He couldn't believe how a single human girl was able to make him feel all of these emotions. This was too complicated for him to comprehend. She was able to break his walls.

All this time he believed that it was almost impossible for demons to have compassion. He thought that perhaps it was better if he didn't understand all of these human emotions, but at the same time he was thankful for what she had taught him. Now he must think hard of what was he supposed to do. He would do everything to protect her, no matter if it meant he had to return to Gehenna either by the cost of his vessel deteriorated or even died because of his demon heart destroyed. He must quick before it was too late.

* * *

While Lucifer calmed himself down, Asmodeus heard that his father and his siblings came home from their family trip.

"Welcome home, father!", Asmodeus greeted Mephisto, as he hugged him. He also bowed respectfully to Amaimon, Iblis, and the others.

"Where is Lucifer? Is he home now?", Azazel questioned.

"Yeah, he's here. Uncle is in his room. But I suggest that we leave him alone. He's... not feeling quite well in the moment", Asmodeus informed them as he grinned.

Iblis and her brothers didn't like Asmodeus' expression. Clearly something went wrong before they were arrived. What hard for them to believe, was when they heard Lucifer's faint sobs. Egyn also exchanged glances with his siblings but they didn't questioned their nephew any further. They returned to their respective rooms, except Mephisto. He put the leftover foods into the fridge. "Father, can I ask you something?"

"What is it, Asmodeus?", Mephisto became curious towards his son.

"Is it true that Uncle Lucifer meet someone when he was in Assiah, beside of people in his duties? I heard that he befriended a pure hearted human."

"Actually he is. He is close with a young girl. She's beautiful and innocent, if you ask me. Her name is Shizuka."

 _A girl_ _! I should have known!_ , Asmodeus yelled in silent. Lucifer did lie to him! The said human was a girl. This became even more interesting to him. A pure-hearted human, especially a girl was very hard to get. But this also felt all too strange to him. He could have told her to him too. He just wanted to try to get to know her first. It was strange why the King of Light covered her whereabouts. Then he remembered that demons have always after humans with such conditions. He was also reminded that in his sobs Lucifer was sounded like regretting his encounter with her.

He suddenly realized the possibility. If Lucifer became blue like this, could it possibly mean that... _he fell in love with her_? Big time! Lucifer, the King of Light was experiencing his love for the first time. He just didn't realize it yet. This could be a great opportunity for Asmodeus. He would do anything to make the girl like him. So many human women fell to his charms, and he was sure that this would be an easy deal.

"Why do you becoming silent all of a sudden?"

"Oh, nothing! Actually what you told me is interesting", Asmodeus wore his not-so-innocent grin.

"It seems that something took your interest, isn't it?", Mephisto understood what he meant.

"Yes, father. I think I will have a lot of fun in this."

"I understand that you are bored in Gehenna, but I suggest that you better not do anything to her. Lucifer is highly protective of her safety. If you are causing any trouble, he won't stay still", Mephisto warned his son.

Asmodeus snorted. "It's show time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, and welcome to the new chapter! This time I will just give you guys an end note. Now you are finally know about the mystery character. This mysterious guy here, Asmodeus, is a new OC that I added to my story. His role so far will be important in Lucifer's relationship with Shizuka, and I can promise you there will some action scenes in the future, started from the next chapter.
> 
> Spoiler for next update : Lucifer will be in a middle of meeting with his father and siblings. There will be some noble demons questioning his reasons of doing his duty, and what will coming next is not going to be pretty. Of course, you will see some of his true nature revealed. But don't worry, Shizuka is still there, and things will be interesting on this part.
> 
> Just so you know, starting from the next chapter, I will updating this fic monthly, and I have decided to updating this again on Fanfiction.net as well.
> 
> Review, review! I would like to see what are your thoughts about this chapter and what would you like to see next. See you next week!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just for your notice, there would be a little fighting scene here, and starting from this chapter, this story is upgraded to mature rated!

Lucifer had finally made up his mind. He decided to keep an eye on Asmodeus in secret. Things proven to be tougher for him, as the Order was getting more demanding regarding the solving of increasing demonic activity across Japan. It was quite odd of him to make any assumptions, but perhaps the whole demonic activities was related with the day of Asmodeus' arrival. He had also chose to be more concerned about his mission, because he knew that his efforts to protect Shizuka would be futile if he couldn't solve his mission that granted by Satan. Unfortunately, there was something that he forgotten. Little did he know that Shizuka became irritated.

* * *

Her mother saw that Shizuka sit next to the windowsill of her bedroom. She seemed to pouted as her eyes wandering at the sight outside of her house.

"Shizuka-chan, why are you pouting? Did something bothering you?", Keiko ask in a concerned tone.

She took a deep breath and replied, "It's Lucifer, mom. I think he's avoiding me. He has been like this since a week ago. He didn't pick up his phone and didn't reply my messages. I don't know what else should I do to contact him."

"Perhaps he's busy. You know that being an ambassador of peace is not an easy job."

"I know that, but he usually has time for me even when he had many duties. Mom, what do you think? Am I being clingy to him?"

"I don't think so. Both of you always seem to be comfortable with each other. I think it's better to give him some time, besides you must work on your homeworks too. I also remember that Reina and her brothers have been asking for you to hang out together since yesterday. Why don't you spend some time with them?", her mother advised.

Shizuka thought of the advice. Maybe her mother was right. She had been neglected her friends for a while. She suddenly felt guilty for leaving them hanging these few days. "Okay. I'll work on my homework first, and I'll call them to hang out. Besides, I hear from the news there is a new theme park just opened three days ago and I want to go for a visit."

"Good! Don't forget to tell them about your plans for today. Good luck, Shizuka."

As she was on her way to the theme park with Reina and her neighborhood friends, she cursed her negative thoughts. It was not in her habit to be too suspicious towards people. It wasn't fair for Lucifer either that she became clingy. But at the same time, she felt lonely. _I need a time_ , she thought. She hoped that hanging out with her friends could lighten up her mood.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the mansion Iblis made a lunch for her brothers and nephew. She was known for being good at cooking. Not surprising with her title as the King of Fire. She made roasted chicken for them with help from Rin and Beelzebub.

"Thanks for coming today, Rin. I really appreciate your help in cooking earlier", she thanked her younger half-brother.

"No problem. I'm glad to help you, big sister", Rin said. Then he averted his gaze to the King of Insects and asked, "It seems Lucifer is getting busy, isn't it? It's quite unusual to see him like this. He hasn't come out of his room."

"You can say it like that. So many things were on his mind this recently, especially with Asmodeus is coming here. To be honest, actually we didn't know that Asmodeus would visit us", Beelzebub explained to him.

"Why? I thought you have good relation with him."

"We do, but sometimes Asmodeus is acting... quite odd. We never thought that father would let him come here either. It's still hard for us to understand. I think it's better to ask Lucifer yourself, Rin", Iblis added.

Rin still wondering of what did they trying to tell him. Rin didn't really know his older nephew, and this was his first time meeting the Prince of Lust. Azazel told him that usually Asmodeus stayed in Gehenna to be close with many of his succubus and also doing his duties as a Demon Prince. So far Asmodeus had been nice to him, but with the way his older half siblings reacted to Asmodeus, nothing seemed to be certain at the moment. Rin actually wanted to ask Lucifer about the matter, but he was afraid that Lucifer would be displeased. He decided to ask anyway. Besides, Lucifer had been silent for too long. Whatever happened next, that could be dealt with later.

"Hey big brother, may I come in?", Rin asked as he knocked behind his door and brought Lucifer's lunch.

Lucifer who was inside his room turned his head towards the door. He felt a little troubled, but perhaps it would be better to know what did Rin want. "Come in", he answered softly.

As Rin came inside, he heard the classic music was at play. Lucifer had always known for his passion of classical musics, especially Chopin's. He usually turned the phonograph on every time he was working. Lucifer was seen to be writing as he sit on his work desk.

"Sorry for interrupting your work. What are you doing?"

"I'm working on my written report. The Grigori Agency asked me to write them after I got home earlier. I was just got home from Chiba."

Rin saw the way Lucifer acted while he worked on his duty. He knew that Lucifer took his job seriously. He already knew that Lucifer was always favored by Satan. Everything that he did was always praised by their father. Lucifer was a perfectionist, that's for sure.

Rin then sit close to him as he saw his oldest half-brother's writings. He gave Lucifer his lunch, which he accepted with pleasure. "Thank you, Rin. I'm sorry I made you worrying over me."

"Don't mention it, I know that you are busy", Rin smiled at him. Then, he saw Lucifer's phone. He was surprised to know that there were many missed calls and messages from Shizuka. "Lucifer, you should see your phone."

Lucifer took the phone from Rin's hands and saw the notifications that were on the screen. "I already knew about this."

"Damn, Lucifer! These calls and messages have been on your phone for a whole week. Why don't you call her?"

"Can't you see? I'm very busy. The Grigori Agency were nagging me since two weeks ago. I can't just abandon my tasks! I promise I'll call her after my business is done."

Rin rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right."

Lucifer furrowed his eyebrows at Rin's behavior. He hated it when his younger half-brother being stubborn. "I know I have been ignoring her, but I do it for a good reason. I want to finish my task first. Maybe I have found a friend like her, and I like spending my time with Shizuka, but still, my task granted by father is my first priority."

"You know that she's my friend, right? I won't forgive you if you hurt her feelings", Rin reminded the King of Light as he pointed his index finger at him. "You better keep your promise."

Lucifer nodded as he ate his lunch. That was his intention from the start. He would like to finish his business first. After that, he wanted to meet her. He had to admit it, he felt lonely while he worked on his tasks. He felt he had to do something for Shizuka after what he had done for the week. True Cross Order had continuously put him on edge by sending him to various places and meet human rulers under Shemihaza and Armumahel's words. The last thing he would like to do for now was to go to the Vatican and submitted his report. Perhaps he could also try to find a best way to hide Shizuka from the likes of Asmodeus.

Then he prepared himself to heading to the True Cross Order Headquarters. "Samael, I'm going out for a while."

"Okay, be careful brother", Mephisto replied in a relaxed tone.

"Where are you going, uncle?", Asmodeus asked curiously.

"I'm going to the Vatican. Don't make a mess while I'm gone, Asmodeus."

"I won't. Besides, my father would be mad if he knows", he answered as he looked at the King of Time. Mephisto snickered at Asmodeus' words.

Lucifer could only shook his head at their antics. _Like father, like son_ , Lucifer thought of them affectionately. He knew of their habits. Sometimes Mephisto and Asmodeus would work together when pulling pranks on people. Not only that, they also had similar tastes when it comes to humans. They were fascinated by human ways of living. They thought of them to be interesting beings. Sometimes he hoped he could have their relaxed attitude, even if just a little of it.

* * *

Finally, his business in the Vatican was done. Shemihaza told him to take a break for two weeks, something that he deeply appreciated. By the time he arrived at the mansion, Egyn told him that Mephisto and Asmodeus were out for a walk. This could be a perfect time for him. Then he called Shizuka.

" _Hello?_ ", her melodious voice were heard. This was his chance.

"Hello, Shizuka. It's me."

" _Oh Lucifer! How are you doing?_ "

"I'm good. You know, I was kind of hoping if you have a time to come to the mansion. Would you like to come here? It's been a while since we talk."

" _Sure. I have free time today. I'll go to your place after my classes are done. I'm going to be in my last subject._ "

"I can't wait to see you, Shizuka", Lucifer muttered with a small smile after the phone was off.

Azazel and his younger siblings wondered about what happened earlier. Lucifer looked different. "Who was that, brother?", Azazel inquired.

"You know. I'm sure you can guess."

"That's Shizuka, right? Is she going to come over?", Iblis wondered.

"Yes, she is", he replied.

Azazel noticed that their oldest brother's behaviors changed every time he talked to her. "You look different since her birthday last week. You look... cheerful."

"What do you mean? I'm usually like this. Nothing is wrong with me."

"Lucifer, I am more experienced when it comes to human emotions. It looks like you are in love. Don't you notice the changes in you? I observed that every time you meet her, you get excited. I can't believe you are that clueless!", Azazel said as he facepalmed. Sometimes he couldn't believe their oldest brother's personality. The King of Light was referred to as the figure of perfection, but he was so clueless and awkward when it comes to feelings. Understandable, considering how long had he hide his emotions since what happened in his past. It would definitely take some time to teach him about emotional matters. Not many people noticed about his particular weakness.

"Really?", Lucifer muttered as he raised one of his eyebrows. He was wondering about what Azazel told him. He was still unsure about his feelings, but perhaps Azazel was right. It seemed that the King of Spirits was the right person to talk with.

Azazel was known as one of the wisest of all of them. He had observed humans and experienced their emotions for a long time. He was also the most favored by humans for his friendliness and negotiable attitude.

Not long after they were talking, the knock on the front door of the mansion was heard. Belial, Mephisto's butler opened the door as she came inside. By the time Lucifer glanced to his siblings' way, they were gone to their rooms to give them some space. He felt nervous as she stood in front of him.

"Uhh.. Hi, Shizuka", he greeted her with a shaky hand.

"Hey", Shizuka greeted back with a bored expression on her face.

Lucifer raised his eyebrows at her respond. He was surprised to hear the way she greeted him was so different than the way she talked on the phone earlier. He realized the possibility. Could it be that she was angry at him? He knew that he had been neglecting her since their picnic last week. Actually he called her to come to the mansion because he wanted to apologize and asked her to hang out together, but maybe this was not the right time, seeing her in a bad mood.

"So, how is your day? I'm sure you just got home from school", Lucifer asked her. He was so tense, he tried not to fidget in front of her.

"I do. My day wasn't going very well. We got ourselves so many home works for being bad during our presentation in Circle Summoning", she replied with a grumpy face as she sat on a chair not too far from him.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Then they continued sitting in silence. The situation was getting awkward. _What am I supposed to do_ , Lucifer thought hard. After a few minutes, he decided to tell her his reason to invite her here.

"Shizuka, I called you here because I wanted to apologize. I'm sorry for neglecting you. It was not my intention from the start."

"Why did you call me just now? Do you know how many times I tried to contact you?"

"Once again, I'm sorry. My duties within the Order are getting more difficult day by day. I have to be honest I feel a little stressed out. That's why I want to meet you."

She doesn't seem to be convinced by his words. As he tried to get closer to her, he was even more surprised to see her turning her face away from him. He whimpered. He knew that it was his fault for leaving her hanging, but he didn't have the courage to tell her about Asmodeus. He had enough with making her worried about him. "Shizuka, please. Don't be like this. I want to talk to you", he pleaded to her.

"I was irritated, Lucifer! I just wanted to know that you are okay! I'm sure you know the feeling of someone worrying over their friend's condition,especially when they don't have any clue of what they are doing. What do you think am I to you? Someone that you can call when you only needed me? Sometimes I'm thinking that you only want to be friends with me so you can use me, since... I'm a human."

This was what he's afraid of the most; to see her got angry and even worse ignoring him. She clearly wouldn't budge in this state. He should have remembered her flaw. No matter how people favored her so much, not many of them knew about this. Shizuka had a great desire for company. He noticed her fear of loneliness a few moments after they became close. They were just so similar. She may have many friends now, but he was the one she trusted the most.

He suddenly got an idea. Perhaps this could work.

As she pouted, she suddenly heard the sound of a bird chirping near her. She was confused at first. The windows were closed, then where did the sound come from? Then she saw a yellow parrot in front of her. She immediately realized that it was Lucifer in his animal form. She knew that he usually turned into his animal form every time she was moody to get her attention. But she shook her head and continued to ignore him.

Lucifer felt a little hurt at her response, but he wouldn't give up. He would do everything he can to get her to talk to him again. Then he sat on her left index finger and chirped again. This time, Shizuka fought so hard not to give in. She finally relented when she moved her hand and he nuzzled her left cheek with his beak. She was blushing.

"Alright, alright", she giggled as he continued to nuzzle her cheeks. She returned this by stroked him under his beak and the back of his head.

He clearly enjoyed this. She had always played with him in this form since she was a little. Every time she was sad, he would turn into this form to cheer her up and it was always successful to get her good mood back. What surprised him was when she rewarded him with a kiss on top of his head.

Lucifer turned back into his human form and laughed. "I knew it! You can never be angry for long if I'm in that form."

"I have to admit it, you look cute."

He suddenly blushed hearing her words. Cute was definitely an absurd word when used to define demons, especially one as strong as him.

Shizuka was such a peculiar girl. He observed that she didn't have any suspicion towards his kind in the slightest, even during their friendship and in her study to be an exorcist. She was such a refreshing sight to him, and also a potential prey towards other demons. Her purity and kindness can be used against her if she didn't careful; that's why he stayed by her side to watch over her.

"I'm sorry for neglecting you last week. I was working on my duties so I can spend my time longer with you. Shemihaza and Armumahel made so many requests this recently, and I'm trying to finish them as fast as I can. Not to mention, I faced so many rebelling demons that I have to negotiate with, so no humans will be harmed", he told her as he ran his fingers through her lustrous red hair.

Shizuka pitied the King of Light. She knew how exhausting his duties must be. She understood his reasons now. "I see. I just wanted to know how you are doing. I'm sorry if you find me being so annoying. I see that you are a perfectionist in almost everything you do. Even the smallest mistake could make you irritated. I just worried if you strain yourself too much. Even the strongest of people have their own limits. But I know my place. I'm not going to babysit you either. You can take good care of yourself, considering how old you are."

"I'm a little offended you called me old, since I have a youthful vessel but it's understandable", he replied as he wore his toothy grin. "And I don't find you acted that way. I know that you only try to help me relax. Honestly, I am very much enjoying your company. I miss you, Shizuka."

She didn't thought he would speak out those words. Somehow, she felt warm when he spoke to her in such an affectionate tone. Since when did he becoming so attentive like this?

"As my sign of apology, how about we hang out together today? You can pick the place", he offered her.

"How about you helping me in shopping? I need to make a preparation for summer solstice celebration this Saturday. After that, we eat in my house."

"Sound good."

Then they went to the market. Shizuka bought so much stuff : aromatic oils, orange and yellow flower petals, spices, candles, and a piñata. They were so many, Lucifer offered to help her brought them to her house. She told him that she would use some of them to arrange her altar of worship.

"Thanks, Lucifer."

"Don't mention it. I'm glad to help."

"Oh! By the way, you and your siblings should come to my house for this celebration. What do you say? Let's have some fun!"

Lucifer thought of it for a moment, and said, "Alright. I think we can come. That can be arranged."

"I will invite my friends to come along."

* * *

Finally, he told all his siblings to come with him to her house regarding the event and all of them were excited. Meanwhile, Shizuka asked for her classmates from both regular class and cram school to celebrate the summer solstice. As all of them coming, they were amazed by the sight. She had decorated her backyard with many kinds of ornaments.

Lucifer saw Shizuka and the girls were making flower crowns and wore them. _She looks so cute_ , he thought.

"Lucifer~", she called his name in sing-song. As he turned his back, he was surprised to know that she was carrying a water gun and shot him. She laughed seeing him getting wet. "You can't get me!"

"Oh, I will get you, you naughty girl!" he said with a devilish grin as he took his own water gun and chased her. He laughed even harder as she squealed when he shoot her.

Shizuka and the others continued having fun during this celebration. When she hung the piñata above a nearby tree, Rin volunteered to participate in whacking the ornament.

"Come on, Rin. Whack that piñata! Oh, that was so close!" Amaimon shouted as Rin failed to whack the ornament a couple times.

To their surprise, he unknowingly went towards Ryuji and almost whacked his head him. Luckily Ryuji was able to get down before the stick hit him. "Hey, what the hell are you doing, Rin? Be careful!", Ryuji yelled as he guided him back towards the piñata.

"Sorry! You know that I'm blindfolded!", he said as all of them were laughing. Finally, after a few more attempts, he was succeeded and all of them were rewarded with the candies inside it.

Finally, the part that they had been waiting for the evening : bonfire dance. All her friends were dancing, even Yukio. Then she decided to ask the King of Light to dance with her. She saw him only sitting in his place as he observed them.

"Lucifer, come on! Let's dance with me!"

Lucifer was shy when all of them were whistling on him and Shizuka, but he decided that he wanted to have his time with her. At first he felt a little awkward with his siblings watching them both, but as the time went by he enjoyed their dance. The fast tempo of the music got both of them excited. He enjoyed the feeling of her body close to his as they followed the rhythm. Both of them sit next to each other.

Then Lucifer felt that Shizuka placed her head next to his, but this time he was at ease. He had started to get used with this feeling after they were hanging out for a while. He was glad that he could forget about his worries on Asmodeus for a moment. He put his right hand on her shoulder and pulled her closer to him as he placed his head closer to hers.

Rin elbowed Yukio to tell him about the sight and soon, all of them realized what did Rin meant. They had never seen those two being so close with each other in such a way. They looked comfortable.

Azazel smiled seeing to Lucifer's way. It seemed that their oldest brother can managed himself pretty well at the moment.

"Shizuka, wait for a second. Your hair is in quite a mess", Lucifer told her as he picked up the flowers that fell from her head. He reveled in the soft feeling of her strands against his fingers. He had always admired it.

There was one time when he was furious as one of his shameless fangirls bullied her and forcibly cut her hair out of jealousy. He noticed how sad she was when her knee-length hair was cut more than a half of its original length and in a messy cut, but he comforted her. He told her that she was beautiful in her every looks. Since then, he adored her hair and never let his fangirls get too near to her. He had a thing for red hair, something that his siblings always teased him about whenever he was with her.

Lucifer was aware with Azazel looking at both of them. He wanted to talk to his younger brother, and he was done in helping her tidying her hair. He moved to sit in front of her and caressed her cheek gently. "Shizuka, I hope you don't mind, but I would like to have a talk with Azazel. I promise it won't be long."

Shizuka was blushing when he was being so gentle to her. She had never received so much attention from a man before, but she couldn't deny that she was starting to like it. "Sure, go ahead."

He nodded as he stood and walked towards the way of the King of Spirits. Azazel and Lucifer then went a little far from the crowd, so they could talk in private. "I see that you were observing us since we danced earlier", Lucifer stated.

"I do. I have never seen you being so comfortable around a girl before. I have to say, you had good changes since last week. This is a first time I see you being so attentive to her."

Lucifer became silent as he thought of what he wanted to say to his younger brother. "You know, I have been thinking about what you told me."

"Really? I want to know. I'm curious, considering you had never been this open before."

Lucifer nodded and explained, "I have to admit that actually I'm still not quite sure about my feelings. But one thing that I know, it's getting even stronger every day. I guess you can say that I'm starting to attracted to her since her fifteenth birthday."

Azazel understood his words as he witnessed his face got redder. Hearing him said this was already enough for Azazel.

"I still don't have the courage to tell her about my past", he said in a worried tone.

"Why don't you just tell her? She has the right to know. It isn't fair to keep her hanging that way. Besides, I'm sure she can accept whatever you told her."

"It's not that simple, Azazel! I'm afraid she would leave me if she knew the truth."

Azazel sympathized with the King of Light. Every demon in Gehenna knew him as one of those who suffered the most during his past life. He had also experienced so many wrongdoings from humans, which made him bitter towards them, so seeing him being around one without showing any sense of animosity was remarkable. He could only hope the best for his older brother. Suddenly, Lucifer was coughing, which gained Azazel's attention quickly.

"Lucifer, are you alright? Why are you coughing all of a sudden?"

"I-I'm alright. It's nothing. It's going to stop soon", Lucifer replied.

 _Damn it! Something is not right_ , Azazel cursed inside as he holding his shoulders. What the hell was going on? Lucifer was usually fine. He became suspicious. Sometimes, Lucifer had a bad habit for didn't tell people when something is happening to him.

"Lucifer, I think it would be better if we going home now. You need rest", he advised.

"But I can't leave her, not until the celebration is over."

"My goodness! Can't you see your condition? I'm sure you must have been using your powers too often in your missions. This could affect your body! We have to go home and get you some help, now!", Azazel admonished him impatiently.

He couldn't fight his younger brother, especially in his current state. He could only comply at his order as he felt his body getting weary with each second.

Suddenly, he froze. He felt someone with a massive amount of power was nearby.

"Lucifer, what happened? Please, don't make me worry."

"Can you feel it? I think that father is here, in Assiah."

Azazel tried to make sure about what the King of Light tell him, and he realized that Lucifer was right. Their other siblings must have been aware of Satan's presence by now. Both of them exchanged glances and nodded. It was time for them to go home, especially as they look at the twins, Rin and Yukio were tired just like their friends.

Lucifer then went towards Shizuka's direction and said, "Shizuka, my siblings and I want to go home. I think you need rest too. All of us are tired. I'm very much enjoying this celebration. Thank you for inviting us."

"Okay, be careful", she smiled as she placed a kiss on his right cheek.

* * *

Mephisto then using his key for all of them and in less than a second they were back in the mansion. All of the Demon Kings were surprised seeing their father was there.

"Wow, all of you are look exhausted. Where have you been?", Satan questioned as he sit comfortably on one of the cushions.

"We were just attending a celebration. We are going to bed now", Lucifer answered as they were going to go into their rooms. However, Satan stopped them from doing so.

"Not so fast, my children. I wanted you to come with me, especially you, Lucifer. It has been a while since you gave me a report regarding your activities and missions in Assiah. Many noble demons will attend this meeting as well."

The Demon Kings exchanged glances with their half siblings. They already knew their father would not receive any rejection. They finally nodded.

Satisfied, Satan then slit his hand palm and poured his blood to the floor. In an instant, a Gehenna Gate appeared.

All of them entered the gate and all demons were shown to be waiting for them. Lucifer saw that Asmodeus was among the crowd. He waved his hand on them as he saw his uncles and aunt. Then the god of Gehenna led the way to the meeting room inside his castle. Inside the room, so many noble class demons already took their seats.

"I hereby present you, Satan-sama and the Demon Kings, along with his twin sons, Prince Rin and Yukio Okumura had arrived!", one of the goblin demons declared their arrival. The noble demons immediately bowed before them.

Lucifer took a seat on his throne next to Rin and Yukio near their father with Iblis and Egyn sit on his right side. Azazel, Mephisto, Astaroth, Amaimon, and Beelzebub sit on the right side of their father. The noble demons sit in front of them. Then Satan commenced the meeting.

"Thank you for coming. I'm deeply apologized for summoning you in between of your duties. I officially asked you to come here because here I have my oldest son, Lucifer as our peace representative let us know regarding the update of our relation with the humans in Assiah", Satan declared as he gave the King of Light his time to speak.

"I stand here before you because I wanted to tell you how things are going in Assiah. Like what have you heard from father so far, humans have accepted me quite well. You can conclude that the humans are starting to trust us now, showed from the way they worked with me and my siblings during my diplomatic missions to many countries", Lucifer said in a constant tone. "Unfortunately, I found something unsettling during my duties."

The demons were whispering about what the King of Light had told them. What could happen that made him this upset? Few demons who are known to serve Lucifer and his siblings started to feel tense as they waited for him to continue.

Samael then told them, "When we help our brother during his duties, we faced many high class demons that were rebelling against father's decision."

"I see that some of you were causing terrors among humans and even tortured them while they were possessed", Lucifer added as he averted his eyes towards demons among them with his vacant gaze. He recognized some of them that had been through many trials for their actions. They could only bow their heads with shame beneath his glare. "I suspected that perhaps some of you were conspired against our plans on making a peace treaty with humans. You must know that your actions can affect our relation with those mortals. We understand that not all of you agreed with this. If you have any complaints about this matter, you don't have to put your frustration upon humans. I don't tolerate any anarchy movements. You can just speak to us about your concern and problems in a simpler way, and we can sort things out together to reach better results for both sides."

Not long after Lucifer spoke, a demon laughed in mocking. "Really? Diplomatic ways? Good relation with humans? I don't believe you, Lucifer!"

"Do you have something to say, Abaddon?", Iblis glared at the demon.

"I have many complaints, Iblis. Actually I have been thinking about this since Satan-sama chose him as our ambassador. I don't believe humans will accept you that well, Lucifer. I remember that you used to be cruel towards them in the past! Not to mention, you considered yourself as a demon supremacist and thought that we demons should be the ones to have control over humans whatever it takes. Think about this, everyone! How can a vengeful demon like him change his mind so quickly? It doesn't make any sense!", Abaddon stated his opinion.

Lucifer then stepped towards him, and stated, "You don't know anything about what have I experienced all this time. Actually, I have heard many things about humans from my siblings while they were in Assiah. Humans have developed over the centuries, and some of their ideas intrigued me. That's the reasons why I started to change my mind and wanted to be our representative."

Asmodeus smirked when he heard his uncle talked with the rogue demon. Abaddon had no chance to win in arguing against Lucifer. Besides, he had never like Abaddon in the first place. Abaddon was known as one of the most violent demons in Gehenna. He was notorious for having so many enemies, humans and demons alike.

Lucifer continued, "During my duties, I see that humans are more open-minded and cooperative than the way they used to be. I'm well acquainted with some of them. I also learn about their emotions, an aspect from humans that sometimes is hard for us to comprehend. I suggest that you don't underestimate them. They are holding so many hidden potentials that make them unpredictable."

Abaddon only snorted as he heard him. When Lucifer was about to return to his throne, Abaddon shot a ball of energy that quickly made its way towards the King of Light. Lucifer saw it coming to his direction, but he didn't have the time to dodge the attack. As it hit him, Lucifer fell to the floor with a loud thump and created a large crater, making the demons screamed at the shocking sight. This quickly turned the situation inside the meeting room into turmoil.

"Abaddon, what have you done?"

"Why did you do that?"

"Someone, get help for Lucifer-sama!"

"Lucifer-sama, are you alright?!", some of Asmodeus' succubi asked his condition and tried to help him stand.

Satan and Lucifer's siblings became uneasy. They never thought Abaddon would cause riots in this place. They became concerned for Lucifer's condition. The god of Gehenna had heard about Lucifer's current problem regarding his vessel from Amaimon, and he just hoped that the King of Light was okay. He started losing his patience at witnessing all the commotion. "Abaddon, stop where you are!", Satan yelled at the demon.

Abaddon walked arrogantly towards Lucifer who was coughing heavily from the attack and said, "To be honest, I am very disappointed. We were used to be on the same side. It seems that living among those humans making you soft. You are getting weak! You are not worthy of your position as the King of Light! Especially, I heard the rumor that you are befriended one of the humans, a pure hearted young girl and you fell for her!"

Samael grimaced. He knew that something was about to happen. What did Abaddon possibly want? That imbecile had no idea what was waiting for him. The King of Time knew that it was not going to end up nicely.

"Everyone, I want to make a challenge. Right now, I'm going to make myself a new candidate as one of the Demon Kings of Gehenna and took the position that the King of Light possesses. I promise that during my duties I will surpass all his achievements! Show me your support!", he announced towards the demons. But none of them make a sound or acted to support him. They only stood in silence as they saw Lucifer stand behind Abaddon's back without him knowing it.

"Oh my, this is not going to be good", Egyn muttered as he closed his eyes when Lucifer was about to give a payback on Abaddon.

Egyn and Samael's assumptions were proven to be correct as Lucifer suddenly attacked him. As he crouched on the ground , he created a strong explosion of light from his right hand-palm that he directed at Abaddon. It quickly sent him flying towards the wall and creating a hole in it. Abaddon felt his whole body was torn apart as he screamed in pain.

"Surpassed me? Took my position? Do you know how ridiculous you sounded earlier? As always, you make yourself a wrong move. You have forgotten your place, you fool!", Lucifer laughed at him. His face showed them all, a perfect picture of his concealed insanity. His eyes was glinting both in fury and madness. Lucifer smirked maliciously and licked his lip in enjoyment of seeing Abaddon's pain.

Azazel was frightened at Lucifer's sudden change of behavior. The demons in Gehenna were afraid of the King of Light for a good reason. Lucifer maybe was considerate, but he was not so forgiving when it comes to those who stepped out of the line and even challenged him. He also had a maniacal side when he was furious as a result for his terrible experience especially during his vessels' constant deterioration. As the second most powerful demon next to Satan, he was almost undefeated and no one dared enough to make a move on him to this point. Those who were fighting against him met their demise in his hand; imprisoned, put in shamed or even killed.

Without giving any chance for Abaddon to move, in a speed of light Lucifer was already in front of him and holding his neck with his right hand. He got closer to his face and said in a menacing tone, "Do you really think that being a Demon King is going to be easy? If it's easy, every demon would do it. In order to be a Demon King, the great amount of physical or magical powers is not the only requirement. You also need broader knowledge and intelligence regarding your range of powers and understanding towards other lower demon that you are going to rule."

Lucifer still remembered that the competition regarding powers and positions in Gehenna was immense, despite the balance in power difference possessed by every demons. This was his reason for not getting too close with female demons. He didn't want to be used only to gained powers and titles.

"I still don't believe in your every word! I know every single one of our kind that were trying to survive met their ends in your hands. You have always been known to force your views on other beings including humans! You are too strict, and seeing the circumstances, I believe your current vessel is having a problem, right? The vessels that you are using can't even last longer than ten years. I see that you couldn't stop yourself from coughing since the meeting began and I'm sure the one you're using now is not going to last for long", he grinned, which made Lucifer tighten his grip on Abaddon's neck.

"I did those also to please father. You know how demanding he can be. Your stupidity and stubbornness astounded me. You know that it's a mistake if you are trying to challenge demons stronger than you", Lucifer let him go. "You must feel glad that I don't like killing someone at the moment. You are right about the condition of my body. I'm letting you go for now. If I found out that you caused any mayhem in the future, I won't be so lenient. Get out of my sight."

Satan finally stood from his place. "That's it! The meeting is finished. Abaddon, you are no longer accepted in this court. Get out!"

The said demon then huffed and walked on his way towards the door. Before he got out, he turned his gaze to Lucifer, "This is not going to be our last meeting, King of Light. I will make sure that your mission failed."

"I highly doubt that would happen. Why? Because I'm highly prepared, and I'm a Demon King!", Lucifer wore his cocky smile.

"Some prideful Demon King you are. No wonder humans recognized you as one of the demons responsible for pride, first and the deadliest of the seven deadly sins."

After Abaddon was gone, the King of Light could feel his coughing fit returns. This quickly gained the attention of one of Lucifer's most loyal underlings, Paimon.

"Sire, let me help you!", Paimon offered his help, which Lucifer quickly accepted. The demon then helped him walk so Lucifer could sit back on his throne. Lucifer groaned in considerable pain as he sits. "Are you alright, Lucifer-sama? Let me get you some help."

"I only break a few of my ribs. It's nothing. I have been through much worse than this. Besides, I can feel my body is starting to heal on its own", he reassured his underling. "Although, perhaps she would not be pleased if she knows."

Paimon raised one of his eyebrows. _She? Could he mean that it's the human girl that Satan-sama said was going to be his future bride?_ , Paimon thought.

"What are you going to do, big brother?", Samael asked the King of Light.

"I think I'm going to stay here for a while. I need some time to rest, also to heal my vessel."

"Kyaaa! Lucifer-sama is going to stay here!", the succubi squealed in excitement. They gathered around his throne and helping Lucifer opened his upper attire to heal himself with his powers. As he did so, they were also running their hungry hands all over his newly healed chest and abs. Asmodeus was laughing at the sight. He knew how they adored the King of Light so much.

Lucifer could only shaking his head at their actions, but paid no mind to it nor telling them to leave him. His first priority was to heal himself, for now. He still couldn't believe his concealed maniacal side would re-emerge. He thought of how Shizuka would feel if he showed her his deadly side. Now things were getting complicated. It has been revealed that some of the demons were after him and his best friend. He would need to work on his strategy in order to face them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Welcome to the new chapter. As you can see, this story reveals more of Lucifer's true personality. He maybe a demon with decent sense of morality, but he's still dangerous nevertheless. That can be shown in his fight with one of the noble demons, Abaddon. I hope that the fighting scene is suitable to your taste. By the way, as the spoiler, everything that happen in this chapter is just a start of a bigger problem. You will know in the next update, and I will do so next month, so stay tune! Just so you know this story is available too in Fanfiction.net. Don't forget to give me kudos and comments! I will greatly appreciate it in order to continue this story. Have fun with reading this chapter!


	11. Chapter 11

It had been around a week since Lucifer decided to stay in Gehenna. Despite his wounds have healed, the fight happened between him and Abaddon, Baron of Destruction left him utterly exhausted.

The King of Light lied in his bedroom inside the castle. His breathing was even; one of the signs that showed his recovery process went smoothly. His chest was bare as he asleep. But soon he stirred as he felt a hand, a woman's, caressing his cheek.

"Hello, my king. It's time to wake up."

His olive green eyes slowly widen as he saw a succubus lied naked beside him. He surely didn't expect a succubus to wake him up, especially in such a perfectly bare state! But it was to be expected; every chance given, they would do everything it takes to get close to him.

"Hello Lucifer-sama. How is your sleep?", the succubus asked seductively.

He remained stoic as he replied, "My sleep is good, at least until you woke me. What are you doing here?"

"I came here to see you, my king. I thought that perhaps you would need a little help... in some things", the succubus started getting her hands closer to him under the sheets, until Lucifer grabbed them.

"You don't need to help me. I can manage myself quite fine. And I suggest you to leave. I want to prepare myself for my return to Assiah."

"Perhaps I can be of use with that. Besides, even a male like you would need a female to care for you at least once", she flirted with him as she tried to uncover the blanket that kept his lower half hidden from her hungry sight.

Lucifer wanted to growl at the succubus' insistence as he tried hard to keep his distance. This female demon definitely didn't understand that he needed some time alone. Sometimes he regretted receiving them from Satan. The god of Gehenna gave those succubi to him as a reward for his work during his duties. His brothers also received the same present from their father for their loyalty. It seemed to be a common manner among his siblings and the noble demons. These demons, which known both for being children and kin of Asmodeus were usually helpful in seduction. Sometimes the demons also used their help in leading the humans astray with their appeals.

* * *

Actually, Lucifer rejected his father's present but Satan insisted that he take them. Satan explained that he gave them to him, in case he's interested in taking one of them as both his mate and succubi were gladly serving the King of Light, and their numbers increased with each mission he accomplished. Lucifer grew annoyed with them since he was already busy, and he didn't want to have another burden to taking care of some shameless succubi. He felt like they were trying to get into his pants. Sometimes he thought that maybe human women were better than them, no matter how unlikely that sounded. At least few of them had manners.

* * *

Lucifer's grip on the succubus' hands got tighter as he tried to hold his anger at her. But he finally loosened his grip as he heard her moaning in pain.

"Lucifer-sama, why did you do that? I'm only trying to help you. Why did you been always so cold towards me and many of my kind that was granted to serve you?!"

He narrowed his eyes as he got closer to her face. "Let me get this straight. Actually, I never need any of you and your kind's help in this way. I'm glad you did most of your work as I said, but I don't want you to get too far into my business. You have passed your boundaries as one of those who are serving me. I don't need your help in satisfying myself, because I would never let myself close with any female from the likes of you. I would never sleep with you. Besides, I don't like women who can't keep herself modest in front of men. You must glad that I don't like hurting women, otherwise you would be dead if I give in to my anger. Get out of this room, and train yourself to act appropriately."

"You told me that you would never be close with any women. Then, what makes the girl in Assiah, that you claimed as your so-called best friend that different? I'm sure you must like her because of her innocence."

Suddenly, the room turned dark and started shaking. Right now, the only thing she could see was Lucifer's wrathful gaze. "Did you not hear me? I told you not to get into my personal matters. Get out!"

She quickly ran out of the room in fear. Even female demons knew not to enrage the King of Light. Lucifer huffed as he lied his back in bed. The room was in a mess. "Great. Now I have to clean this place again from scratch. What a great day for the preparation of my return."

Then there was someone knocking on his door. _Who could it be now_?, he thought as he groaned. "Come in."

It was Samael. "Hey, brother. I was just saw a succubus ran out of your room . She was crying so loud she surprised me. What happened?"

"Honestly, I don't want to talk about it. Have you prepared yourself for our return?", Lucifer changed the topic as he stood up from his bed, still in all his naked glory.

"I have. We are waiting for you. By the way, bro, please put on some clothes! It looks like that wherever you are, you always seem to be naked. No wonder so many women after you", Samael commented in his usual sarcasm as he went back to the throne room.

Lucifer rolled his eyes. He had already used with his remarks. Demons were usually bare of their clothing in Gehenna despite some of them hid their tails, and they were pretty common mostly. He quickly wore his clothes and locked his room before he went to meet his siblings.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shizuka was in front of the door of the Demon Kings' mansion. She had pushed the button of the doorbell a couple times, but no one seemed to be answering. _This was odd. Usually, when I knock, at least Mephisto or Iblis would open the door_ , she wondered. _Maybe I should go home first. It seems that the mansion is vacant._

But just as she was about to leave, Belial, Mephisto's butler greeted her. "Hello, young lady. May I help you?"

"Oh, Belial! I'm sorry for disturbing. I actually came here to see Lucifer. I haven't heard about him in almost this whole week. I'm getting worried. Is he inside?"

"I'm very sorry, but I'm afraid he's not. Actually, Satan-sama summoned all his children last week to meet him directly."

"Okay. Do you know where they are?"

Belial seemed to think for a moment, before he answered, "All of them are in Gehenna."

Shizuka widened her eyes at his words. This was unexpected to her. Lucifer and his siblings did seem to be in a hurry to get home when they were attending the party. If Satan did call for them, then it must be urgent. But Lucifer said that they were usually in Gehenna only for a couple of days. What was going on?"I understand. I apologize for causing any inconvenience. If they return, can you tell that I was looking for Lucifer?"

"Of course. I will tell Lucifer-sama about you stop by."

"Thanks."

* * *

In Gehenna, Satan was using his blood to create a Gehenna gate so his children can return to Assiah. Asmodeus was coming with them."All done. You can return to Assiah now. If you meet Yuri, please tell her my regards."

"Of course, father", Rin and Yukio replied.

Astaroth stood beside the King of Light as he asked, "Hey big bro, how is your vessel?"

"Don't worry. It has been healed properly. Come on, let's get back."

"So soon, Lucifer? Do you happen to have someone waiting for you?", Satan joked as he looked at him.

"It's not like what you think, father!", Lucifer quickly denied his father's assumption. He was embarrassed when the god of Gehenna read his expression. Lucifer did have a plan to return to Gehenna as soon as possible. He missed her, and he couldn't wait to see Shizuka. The pressure in Gehenna took a toll on him, and his maniacal side re-emerged during their meeting with the noble demons could be a proof for that.

"Don't sweat to deny it, Lucifer. I can read you very well. Do you forget? I used to feel the same when I'm with Yuri", Satan smirked as he looked at his other children, which they replied with their own sly smirks. Even Asmodeus tried to hide his laugh by covering his mouth with his right hand.

 _Gaah! Am I really that easy to read now? I hope Asmodeus don't know the truth_ , Lucifer thought wearily. "It's not that. I still have many things to work on in Assiah. I'll talk with you again when I have spare time, father. Now, please excuse us. Let's go, everyone."

Satan only snorted as he saw them passed the gate. _Well now, perhaps I just have to wait and see what happens. But that girl is fascinating,_ Satan thought thoroughly of the whole event. Not every girl could make Lucifer that emotional. Perhaps Shizuka could give his oldest son what he had always been looking for. He finally returned to his throne room.

* * *

Belial welcomed the return of the Demon Kings and the Prince of Lust. "Welcome back, Sir."

"Good work, Belial. You did your job well in keeping this house, as usual", Mephisto complimented his butler, which the demon responded by bowing before him.

"My, I think I'm going to take a nap for now. Being in Gehenna, especially after all that riot tires me. How about you?", Egyn asked his siblings. Mephisto decided to play a little game with Amaimon, Asmodeus, and Beelzebub. Iblis changed her outfit, while Astaroth went out to eat for lunch.

When Lucifer was in his room, Belial knocked on his door. "Excuse me, Lucifer-sama. I hope I'm not interrupting your work, but I have an important news."The tall demon excused himself into his room. Lucifer was busy with his paperwork as usual, and right now he wore his glasses to read some documents."I would like to tell you, that there was someone looking for you two days ago, Sire."

"Really? Could you tell me who was it?", Lucifer wondered as he took off his glasses.

"It was Miss Shizuka, Sire."

Lucifer widened his eyes hearing the news. He should have known. They were always letting each other know of their activities. He suddenly felt apprehensive. _Oh no. I made her worried over me again_ , Lucifer thought . He pulled himself together, as he questioned further, "Okay. Are you sure no one beside her came here during this week while we were gone? Perhaps those from the Order?"

"I can assure you Sire. It's just her. She got worried over you. I think you should meet her soon."

"Thank you for letting me know. You can go."

After Belial left the room, Lucifer decided to continue his paperwork later. He was ahead of his schedule, and there was someone in need of his reassurance. As he looked on the screen of his phone, he saw there were messages from Shizuka. He decided to send her a message, so he can meet her. And, the reply was quick.

_Meet me in my house. I would like to talk to you. NOW._

When he teleported, he saw that Shizuka was sitting on one of the swings on the right side of her front yard. She had a worried look on her face.

"Lucifer!", she called out to him as she ran. She quickly pulled him into a tight hug as he get closer to her.

"Hey Shizuka."

"Where have you been? I'm calling you for almost a week, but you're not answering. When I came to the mansion, you and your siblings were gone."

"I'm really sorry for not telling you that time. I do have heard from Belial that you were looking for me. I have a little unexpected business", he answered softly as he patted her head.

"Belial told me that Satan called you to come to Gehenna. Is everything alright?", she asked in a worried tone.

"Well, father called me and my siblings to give an update regarding my peace mission. I got caught in a riot while dealing with some noble demons", Lucifer told her grimly. He could still remember his fight with Abaddon. The memory of it gave a bad taste in his mouth.

"But, you're okay, right? I remember you're not quite in a good condition when you left the party."

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine", he slightly laughed to hide his nervousness. This was not good. So she realized about the condition of his vessel. Maybe his body was perfect, but like any other vessels, the condition itself depend on the amount of powers and emotional strength owned by every demon that possessed it. If he didn't careful, he could risk losing his body, and that would be the last thing he need. He still wanted to see her every day. He still found it hard to admit, but he couldn't last a day without seeing her beautiful face. He would have to be careful as not to let himself got carried away.

"Please promise that you will tell me in case something happens. I can't bear the thought of losing my closest friend."

"I'm very sorry. It will not happen again", he reassured her. He held her hands while she put both of her palms on his cheeks.

He thought of her words. _Friend_? He had been used with that term, but he felt so much pain when she mouthed those words. He hope that everything was different on his part. He knew that his feelings for her grew even stronger, and he had such a strong urge to let her know about it; but being a Demon King was already complicated. He had so many competitors who wanted his position in Gehenna, and his nephew was still nagging him  silently.

She invited him to come inside of her house. Inside, as they drank their tea, she told him all her plans in her study. Of course, she still had some difficulties in demon summoning, but she had decided to summoning the gods she worshiped instead. That explained the entity he saw when they were in Mexico. Right now, she studied vigorously to prepare herself for exorcist certification exam next year, like Izumo and Ryuji. He reassured her that she would make it in the exam, but she still had that timid attitude sometimes. Silently, he had a plan to give her one of his Seraphims to help her. Besides, he didn't mind giving her any assistance she needed.

Then they went out together. He accompanied her during their strolling in the nearby park. The place wasn't too crowded, and the weather wasn't so hot even though summer was closing in. They saw that there was no one in the playground. He saw her playing on one of the swings. He remembered how she loves it. When she was a little, he was used to push the swings as she demanded him to push stronger, so she can swing higher. He had told her to be careful, and he scolded her when she fell and cried loudly because she hurt her knees. Like every kid her age, of course she didn't always listen to him all the time. But he enjoyed seeing her that way, and her parents used to ask for his help in watching over her when they were busy. It seemed that no matter how she started to mature, she was still young at heart. _Good times_ , he thought of their experience affectionately. He felt his heart turned warm as he looked at her happy face. He had come to conclusion; he would tell her his feelings soon.

* * *

At the mansion, he drank his coffee as he made an odd expression. Amaimon, Iblis, and their siblings were confused seeing him.

"Hey, brother. What are you thinking about? You seemed to have an odd expression on your face this whole day. Is something happen?", Iblis inquired him. But Lucifer stayed silent as he sighed.

"Don't bother him. He won't hear you. From the looks of it, I think he's daydreaming", Astaroth told her.

"Daydreaming? From what I remember he had never done that before", Amaimon wondered about their older brother's behavior.

* * *

Asmodeus who was passing by near them suddenly stopped. He hid behind the walls of the room as he looked at his uncle. They were right; he looked weird. He decided to stay silent and listening to the conversation further.

* * *

"Actually, I'm thinking about someone", Lucifer finally spoke.

His words took them by surprise. They had never thought Lucifer would say those things. _What the hell?_ , they thought as they looked at their oldest brother.

"Who are you thinking about?", Rin asked carefully, trying not to pry into his business too much.

"Shizuka. I can't stop thinking about her. This feeling makes me feel good for the first time. I feel at peace."

"And... what are you going to do about it?", Mephisto asked the King of Light as he wore his sly smirk. He could see that his older brother fell in love with the girl.

"I think I'm going to ask her out this weekend. There's something that I would like to talk to her."

"Sounds like a date to me. Are you really serious about this, Lucifer?", Yukio questioned, which he replied with his toothy smile.

His smile gave them shivers. Their oldest brother, were going to ask Shizuka on a date! Their father would surely be interested in this turn of events.

* * *

Asmodeus thought of the things he had just heard. So this meant it would be possible for the girl to come here to the mansion. This would be interesting. He wondered how did Shizuka looks like. He left with a smirk on his face. It's time to started working on his plan.

* * *

A few days later, that night Shizuka was in her room studying as usual. At the moment, she was studying about Anti-Demon Pharmacology. Yukio gave them handouts to study on how to cure high level mashou. There would be a little test on Monday, and she was preparing herself. She was getting sleepy after studying for 3 hours. Her phone suddenly rang.

"Hello."

" _Hi Shizuka_."

"Ah, Lucifer!", her sleepiness suddenly vanished as she heard his calm voice."How are you?"

" _I'm fine. How about you? Am I interrupting something_?"

"I'm quite bored actually. I am studying right now. I have a test next Monday."

"I'm so sorry! I'll call you later then!", he suddenly grew awkward at the phone. What a bad time.

"It's fine, relax!", she was laughing as she reassured him. "Like I said, I was bored, and a little sleepy too. It's a good thing that you called me. You are just what I need."

Lucifer was blushing. He was thinking about what he was supposed to say to her. " _I'm kind of wondering. Are you busy this weekend?_ "

"No. I don't have any plans to go anywhere. Why?"

" _I hope you don't mind if... we hang out together. Come to the mansion first, then we'll go for lunch. How is it sounded to you?"_

"Sounds great! I can't wait!", she replied. Then her mother spoke to her. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's my mom. I have to go to sleep. See you later!"

" _Okay_."

Lucifer suddenly heard his siblings chuckled, and by the time he saw them stood at his door, they gave him two thumbs up. "Don't you have anything else to do than stalking everything I did? Get out of here!"

They were laughing out loud seeing his face flushed. Not every day the King of Light was interested in a girl, and even asked her out.

"Come on, Lucifer. You don't have to hide this from us. Actually we can help you. All you need to do is ask", Azazel told him.

"I have a feeling you are only doing this for your own entertainment", he replied with a bored expression.

"This time it's for real, brother. We'll help you on how to impress a beautiful lady", Mephisto smiled wickedly to his older brother. Lucifer had a feeling this would not go well.

* * *

The day he had been waiting finally came. Actually, he could manage himself quite fine, but his siblings insisted on helping him. Lucifer wore his blue Polo shirt, with a cream jeans and black pair of shoes. For the first time, he combed his slick blonde hair backwards. He was quite anxious. Mephisto and the others sit near him comfortably. Damn his siblings! They were so obnoxious as not to let him be.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. As Belial was headed towards the door, Lucifer volunteered to open it himself. He was truly mesmerized as he saw her stood in front of him. Shizuka wore a green collared shirt with red jeans and a pair of brown sneakers. She tied her hair in a high ponytail. Her black jeans jacket was tied around her slender waist. He had been used with seeing her in androgynous outfits most of the time. She did look a little different than most girls around her, but he wouldn't trade the sight in front of him for everything. What picked his interest knowing that she wore the present he gave her during her birthday.

"Hi Lucifer. You look good", she greeted him.

"I see that you're wearing my present. It looks good on you. You look beautiful", Lucifer complimented her. Somehow, seeing her wore the choker he gave her made him feel prideful.

Mephisto and their siblings chuckled seeing their interactions. Their oldest brother was clearly taken away by her appearance.

"Let's get inside. You must be tired. I'll get you a glass of water first, then we go", Lucifer ushered her inside.

"Hi guys!", she waved her hands to his siblings, which they replied with their cheeky grin. Then they decided to leave both of them alone.

Lucifer could hear her humming while she waited for him in the kitchen. He couldn't wait to get out of the mansion. But what he didn't expect was when he heard that someone was walking down the stairs headed to his place. It was Asmodeus.

"Uncle, who's coming here? I heard that you open the door. Do we have any guest?"

Lucifer felt his body froze when he saw Asmodeus gazing on Shizuka when he was in the front room. This was getting out of his hands. How did he suppose to handle this situation now?

"Lucifer, who is this?", Shizuka questioned him. ****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the new chapter! I'm truly sorry for the late update. I'm kinda busy during the early week of this month. I was on a holiday, so I don't have any access to Internet for almost two weeks. I'm so glad to know that one of you guys are reviewing my story on Fanfiction.net! You make me wanna sing, anon haha! By the way, the previous chapter that I wrote came from one of my experiences, when my friend left me without even a single word. You can imagine the feeling, and I'm sure one of you must have experienced the same thing I did. Trust me, you're not alone.
> 
> And for this chapter, once again we saw Lucifer's interaction with Shizuka. I hope you're not surprised with what happened to him in the start of this chapter. At least, now we know that Asmodeus is up to something, and it definitely won't be good. Spoiler for next update : there's a fighting scene soon! It's gonna be worth the wait.
> 
> That's all from me! As always, please give me KUDOS and COMMENTS! I hope to see you guys next month!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains some raping attempt scene and graphic violence! If you're uncomfortable with sexual harrassments, please skip this chapter!

Shizuka was surprised when she saw a young man was standing near the front room. She had never seen this guy before. "Lucifer, who is this?", Shizuka questioned him.

"Uh, this is...", Lucifer stuttered as he looked at Asmodeus. This was not according to his plan. He was confused on how to explain about Asmodeus.

The Prince of Lust observed Shizuka's whole figure. She was beautiful, he had to admit. She did look a little different than most girls he had seen before, but she was a refreshing sight to him. _So this is the girl. No wonder my other uncles and aunt can see that Uncle Lucifer fell for her_ , he thought.

"Oh come on now, uncle. Don't be nervous like that", he smiled at Lucifer. Then he walked towards Shizuka, "Greetings, miss. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Asmodeus, and I am one of the Princes of Gehenna. As you can see, Lucifer is my uncle. Samael, or who you are used to call as Mephisto Pheles is my father."

Shizuka was stunned seeing Asmodeus. She had never thought that Lucifer and his siblings had another relative. Lucifer had never told her about his family besides of his siblings, Satan, Yuri, and the twins. "My name is Shizuka. It's nice to meet you, Asmodeus."

"The pleasure is mine, Shizuka", he took her right hand and kissed it. He pulled her closer to him. He could smell such a fine fragrance from her body. She smelled like newly bloomed roses. He could feel himself was getting excited. _Hmm, a virgin. It has been a long time since I met one_ , he thought wickedly.

Lucifer could feel his blood boiled. He gritted his teeth as he saw Asmodeus got too close to her. Asmodeus clearly had no manners towards women. _This brat! I can't believe he would approach her in such a way. Of all the girls, why did it have to be her?,_ he thought furiously. He sensed that Rin and Yukio who sit down and had their lunch glaring at Asmodeus too. He could see that they were displeased with the way Asmodeus introduced himself to Shizuka.

Shizuka was shocked to say the least when Asmodeus get closer to her face. She was quite pleased to meet the Demon Prince, but she was scared at the same time. There was an eerie impression on him behind his attempted polite behavior. His eyes hid something; the longer she looked at them, the closer she drawn to him. It was odd, like a hypnosis. The way her name rolled in his tongue was so... alluring. Her heart beat faster in her chest. She was finally relieved when Asmodeus let go of her hand.

"So sorry, Miss. Sometimes my sense of sight is lacking", Asmodeus smiled sweetly to her. To Lucifer, it was clear that his nephew is lying.

"It's alright. So you are Lucifer's nephew? I never thought I'd meet you. He never told me about you before", Shizuka tried to keep herself calm while she spoke with Asmodeus. She kept her distance from him.

"Ah, perhaps that's because he's busy. I do have heard from my grandfather, Satan that he is busy with his duties at the moment."

"I understand. He does busy, despite us have been friends for a long time. I'm glad that I met more of Lucifer's relative. You seemed to be a good guy."

"I can be good, especially towards a beautiful lady such as yourself. We can be friends if you like. Besides, not everyday my uncle Lucifer make friends with a human, and I think you're interesting", Asmodeus grinned at her.

"I like the sound of that."

Lucifer got worried over her. This girl was too open towards a guy he had just met. Even though Asmodeus was his nephew, he still would remind her the danger of being absent-minded towards a demon. "Asmodeus, would you please excuse me? I need to speak with her for a moment."

Asmodeus raised one of his eyebrows, but he didn't question further as he saw the King of Light ushered the girl into his room.

* * *

Lucifer quickly locked his room and checked the surroundings outside of his windows before he closed the curtains with his telekinesis. He made sure no one was spying on them. Meanwhile, Shizuka was scared as he cornered her near his bed.

"Lu-Lucifer, what's going on? You have never been like this before", Shizuka tried talking to him calmly, but she couldn't hide her fear. He looked so different than what he was used to be. Looks like he was going to blow a fuse.

Lucifer tried to keep his tone constant as he spoke, "Do you forget what I told you? You know better than to be careful towards a demon. I believe that your parents had also told you not to be so open in front of strangers."

"I'm just curious to know about Asmodeus. You almost never told me anything about your family besides of your siblings and your father. What's wrong with it?", she defended herself.

"I have told you, ever since you're a little, that so many demons would after you if you're too absent-minded. This also applies for strangers. You should be more concerned towards your own safety. You have no idea what kind of demon Asmodeus is!", Lucifer admonished her.

"I noticed that he's different from you the Demon Kings! But I want to see what kind of demon Asmodeus is. Besides, I do remember that the guy, standing in front of me, is a demon himself!", she stated hotly.

Lucifer hold his breath as she spoke that word. _Demon_. Her words was so similar to those humans who he had encountered millennia ago. Of course, during his experiences in his vessels he had accepted the fact that he was a demon. Still,  to hear them felt hurt, especially came from her directly. He felt heavy in his chest, and he grunted as he turned his face away from her in shame.

As she held his hand, she continued, "Lucifer, do you remember what we have always been talking about when it comes to people? Sometimes there are so many things hidden behind their facades. I'm just curious, that's all."

"But, you do know that I just want to protect you, right? I can't bear the thought of seeing you getting hurt."

"I know that, but sometimes in order to learn about something, or someone we have to learn by experience. That's what I'm going to do. I know that you have such a hard time trusting people. Please, just for once I need you to believe me."

Lucifer was silent for a while. "Can you keep your words? It's not that I'm trying to force you to listen to me. It's just a warning. I just know how gentle you are. You must know Shizuka, I can't always be around to protect you."

"Don't worry, Lucifer. I promise I'll tell you if something happens", she looked at him in the eye as she held his cheeks with her palms. She then hugged him to consoled her greatest friend. Sometimes he worried too much about many things. "I'm sorry if my words sounded rude. I didn't mean to."

"It's alright", Lucifer held her closer to him as he put his chin on her head. He had never felt so much care, and affection towards someone before, even a human. She had become someone important to him, since he met her six years ago. He just hoped that she would be alright. "It's up to you if you want to know about my nephew. But you have to keep your words. I will promise too that I won't be so strict on you. Besides, you're right. Despite other people around you give their opinions and advice, you have every right to decide what is best for yourself." Then he kissed her forehead.

She was surprised when he did such an unexpected gesture. Her cheeks blushed as he looked at her deeply with his green eyes. So many emotions in those green orbs, those that she had never seen in him before. She changed the topic as she asked, "Let's get out of here. We have a plan today, right?"

"True. Let's go."

* * *

Asmodeus finally saw them coming out of Lucifer's chambers. He didn't know exactly what happened inside, but he heard some strong argument for sure.

"Asmodeus, I'm really sorry if I can't talk much with you today, since Lucifer and I have plans this afternoon. I hope you don't mind if we meet another time."

"Sure! I don't mind in the slightest", he replied as he saw her took her bag. But his uncle somehow wasn't following her outside. "Uncle, I thought you are going out with her? Why don't you follow her outside?"

"I am going. I just want to tell you this", Lucifer pointed his index finger to him. "Actually, I disagree with you trying to get close with her, but I let her because she wishes to. All I know, is that you are a bad influence on humans. I don't care how friendly you are to her. If you hurt her, I won't show any mercy."

"You are so confident over yourself. I remember you have never been this attentive towards a mere human before. But I guess I can't fight you either. I promise I won't do anything to her", he replied while he crossed his index and middle fingers behind his back.

Then Lucifer went out of the mansion, with Shizuka walked beside him. When they were at the cafe, Shizuka seemed to be relaxed as she was chatted with him. Unfortunately, he felt otherwise. The King of Light maybe good at hiding his true expression, but he couldn't hide his worries. He was thinking on how was he supposed to act, now that Asmodeus was aware of her presence. _This is getting nasty. What am I supposed to do?_ , he thought vexatiously as he put his left hand on his cheek. He could feel that this was just a calm before the storm.

* * *

The next day, Asmodeus asked her to meet him. She was on a recess with her friends. Rin and Yukio had told the others about their nephew, and just like the twins, they didn't really like him. He was so careless towards people around him, and liked eyeing on ladies. Even for once, all of them agreed that he was much worse than Renzou.

"So what do you think, Shizuka-chan? Do you have some spare time after your school? Let's go out this afternoon", he invited her.

"Well, sure. If you want to."

"Great. I'll be waiting at the mansion then. See you!"

After he left, all her friends suddenly surrounded her. They were concerned. They were fine with her being around the Demon Kings, since they treated her well. But being around a Demon Prince such as Asmodeus? Not so much.

"Shizuka, how long have you know him?", Ryuji questioned.

"It's since last week. I met him when I came to the mansion to see Lucifer. I have never thought that Lucifer would have another relative either."

"You know that Demon Princes are almost as strong as the Demon Kings, right? If I were you, I wouldn't be so close with him", Izumo warned her.

"Come on guys. We don't even know him that well yet. I don't want to have negative assumptions first."

"I don't know Shizuka, but I don't really trust this guy. I can sense something fishy about him. Please be careful", Renzou pleaded as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Renzou is right. No matter how polite Asmodeus is, a demon will always be a demon", Konekomaru added.

"Alright. If something happen, I'll let you know. Besides, there's something that makes me curious, and I want to find out."

"Okay, Shizuka-san. We believe you know what to do. Just a little reminder : keep yourself cautious", Yukio advised, and she finally nodded.

* * *

After school, she went on her way to the mansion. Asmodeus was sitting on a bench while he uses his phone, and he noticed her arrival.

"Hi Shizuka. I have been waiting for you!"

"Hey Asmodeus. How long have you been sitting here?"

"I was just coming out of the mansion, so you're on time. Shall we go?", he asked enthusiastically, his tail wagging. She laughed at his hilarious attitude, and she nodded.

Then they went to the nearby parlor. As they ate their Neapolitan ice creams, Asmodeus gazed on her face with interest. She clearly enjoyed herself during their time together. They were chatting about her days in school and Asmodeus' daily activities in Gehenna and Assiah.

* * *

Unknown to both of them, Lucifer in his parrot form watched over them from a tree, not too far from the place they were sitting in. He observed their interactions since they were arrived. They seemed to have a great time, but he kept his guard up nevertheless.

* * *

"So you have been friends with my uncle for six years?! That's a long time!", Asmodeus exclaimed.

She laughed, "Yeah, and so far he's the most loyal friend I ever had."

"I'm glad a human like you is able to comfort him. I would die of boredom if I were you", he chuckled while he ate his ice cream. "That old geezer is too tense for his own taste!"

"I have to agree. He wouldn't be able to focus on his work if he keeps on like this. I kind of pity him. He's always been busy with his duties. That's why I stay beside him, so he wouldn't feel lonely,", Shizuka smiled sadly remembering Lucifer. "By the way, don't call your uncle that way. That's rude!"

"I have been used calling him that, and so far he doesn't mind", he laughed. "We are very close with each other."

"Really? How exactly close you are with him?", she asked the Prince of Lust in interest.

Asmodeus answered, "He's like a second father to me."

She was surprised with his words. That close? She saw his expression turned to that of affection. It was clear that the Demon Prince really care for the King of Light, despite Lucifer had claimed that he had no experience in becoming a parent unlike his siblings.

Seeing his nephew, Lucifer was reminded of their experience together. They did have a good time, but it was unfortunate that so many things changed between them, since Asmodeus was appointed as the leader of the Demon Princes and Lucifer as the peace ambassador.

"I-I'm sorry if I got too far into your privacy. I want to know about your relation with Lucifer. But if you don't want to tell me, that's okay", she asked for his permission.

"Hey, it's fine. I'll tell you about it. This is the first time someone is asking me about my past", Asmodeus assured her. "Okay, so where do I start? Well, when I was a little, I'm always alone. My parents, Samael and Lilith has always been busy with their own personal matters. You might not gonna believe it, but I'm his firstborn and there are my other siblings, but I never really know them."

"What do you mean you never really know your siblings?"

"Father... he has many other children, and all of them are in Assiah. Have you heard that demons and humans are mating? The result is the nephilims. That's my siblings."

 _Just like Rin and Yukio then_ , she thought. His explanations made sense. But as far as she knew, a mating between demons and humans was forbidden. If the Order knew about this matter, the mother would be accused as a witch and have their children exorcised. but from his story, his siblings must have been born before True Cross Order was established.

* * *

Lucifer remembered of his siblings' experiences. They were definitely having a good time sleeping with human women, and they still did, without the Order knew it. It was quite odd to think that their father had the most control, and loyalty to only one woman. He still didn't believe it himself. He had never slept with any women before, and his siblings were always nagging him for being a virgin. He never listened to them, of course. He had his own reason to delayed his journey to find a suitable one. Not many people noticed, but he wanted only one woman to be his eternal mate.

* * *

Asmodeus continued, "During their absence, I met one of my father's siblings, and that's how I know my uncle. He noticed my condition and took care of me. He also got mad at my parents for neglected me. I am close with my father now, but I still think of uncle Lucifer as my father figure."

"What I know, is that Lucifer had never becoming a parent before. Is that true?"

"Yeah, I do realized that. My father also called him a monk", Asmodeus laughed remembered about his uncle's status. "I don't know why did he never decided to find a woman of his own, but maybe he has his own reasons. I never had the courage to ask. To me, he's quite nice to be my surrogate father. But he just too old-fashioned sometimes!"

"On the contrary, I don't think so. He's very much adaptive here. He does have old taste when it comes to many things, but he knows how to act in every situation and even understand modern human technology."

"Really? Then his alias as the keeper of knowledge is true then. Sometimes I hope I can be just like him", Asmodeus spoke in sudden anguish.

Shizuka became concerned. "Asmodeus, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing. I'm fine", he denied.

Honestly, the habit of demons to hide their expression started to get on her nerves! He was so similar to Lucifer. "You can tell me, Asmodeus. Perhaps I can help."

"Are you sure about that? My problem is more complicated than you think."

"At least I can try."

Asmodeus thought of the proper words before he started, "Actually, I don't really like my position. All I want is to live normal, but unfortunately I can't because I'm the son of one of the Demon Kings."

"Why? Do you have some kind of obligation?"

"Yes. Because I am the son of the King of Time, and not to mention the third strongest demon in Gehenna, every demon, especially grandfather demanded me to be a strong demon. I hate living according to people's expectations!", he was irritated with his situation.

Shizuka sympathized him. It seemed that behind his laid-back attitude he hid such a great personal issue. She held his shoulder as he continued, "After I grew up, my uncle started train me nonstop. I have no time to relax or resting. I feel lonely even more after grandfather finally appointed me a Demon Prince. I have no one to talk to because of my hectic schedule. Since my uncle finally worked as the peace representative to discussing peace with your leaders, I lost contact with people I know. I can't take too much pressure."

"Please, just hold on a little longer. Maybe after this, something good will come to you. Just be patient", she patted him as he bowed his head wearily. "If you need anyone to talk to, you can come to me."

"Thank you, Shizuka. I deeply appreciate it", he smiled softly.

* * *

Lucifer stayed silent after seeing the sight beneath him. He wondered if that was how his nephew truly felt while he is gone. Then, he fled.

* * *

Shizuka grew closer with Asmodeus with each passing day. Despite his flirty attitude, he proved to be an enjoyable company. Sometimes when Lucifer or his siblings were busy, he accompanied her everywhere around the town, and even took her out after school. He liked telling her about his experience in Assiah during ancient times. She was fascinated to know that he was kind to various humans he related with. But unknowingly, Asmodeus started to like her. Or not; perhaps something even worse than that, he started to feel lust for her. Knowing her better made his plans moved further. He was actually wanted to use her, so he can get closer to his uncle, but maybe he could have more than what he was expected. He had highly arousing dreams about her every night, and he grew impatient. He finally decided that perhaps he could do what he had always wanted; gained his uncle's attention and took Shizuka with him.

* * *

Lucifer was going out for working on his duties like always. He wore his usual attire as he prepared himself that afternoon. He received a call from the prime minister to meet him regarding his mission in solving haunting in temples around the provinces. The poltergeist had been disturbing the worshipers during their visit. He saw Asmodeus was sitting in the living room, watching his favorite TV show as usual. "Asmodeus, do you have any plans to go out today?"

"I don't have any. Why do you ask, uncle?"

"It's nothing. I just want to know. I remember that I rarely spend my time with you since you got here. How about we go out after I'm home from work?"

"I'll see if I don't have any unexpected business. What time do you going home?"

"I'll be home by 6 p.m. I'll see you later", Lucifer waved his hand on him. But before he left, he hugged his nephew.

Asmodeus was taken by surprise. His uncle had never been this affectionate.

"Asmodai, I'm very sorry if I made you feel lonely after I started working in Assiah. I hope I can do much more to replace the time that has been lost between us. I promise, I'll fix everything."

Asmodeus watched his uncle left the front door. "It would take much more than that, uncle. You will have to work harder to fix our relation", he muttered grimly. Then he sent a message to Shizuka.

_A : Hey Shizuka, would you like to spend your time with me this evening? I'm bored at home._

_S : Sure. What time?_

_A : 6 p.m. How is it sounded?_

_S : Sounds good! I can't wait.  
_

He smirked lecherously. It was time to have some fun.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shizuka prepared herself to meet Asmodeus. He told her that he would pick her up in front of her house. She wondered where would they go, since it was a surprise. She finally spotted him standing in her front yard.

"Hey, you're on time."

"Of course I do. We have plans tonight, so of course I don't want to be late", Asmodeus replied her. He smiled mischievously seeing her. She looked so alluring to him. He couldn't wait to have his way with her when they were alone. He could feel himself getting harder.

* * *

While Asmodeus went out with her, Lucifer was in Hikawa Temple. He saw so many ghosts of the deceased humans appeared in front of him and the exorcists. _This is not exactly my specialty! They should have called Azazel instead of me_ ", he thought.

"Homare, call Azazel."

"What? Why?", she questioned him in confusion.

"This is not exactly how I'm supposed to do exorcism. You can see them? I'm sure you realized that these ghosts are _yurei_ (evil spirits). Azazel would be more useful in this field. I'm maybe strong, but I don't want to use my powers too much. I have a little problem with my vessel."

"Of course. Meanwhile, what are you going to do?"

"I'm still going to exorcise them as best as I can until my brother arrives. After that, I'm going home. I have a bad feeling when I left the mansion earlier."

* * *

Shizuka and Asmodeus were finished with their dinner. When they walked side by side, he suddenly took her to a nearby alley and got closer to her.

"Asmodeus, what is it?", she asked him as he approached her face.

"Shizuka, I have something that I really wanted to say to you since we met. I really like you", Asmodeus caressed her cheek.

"I-I like you too. You're a good friend", she grew nervous. _What was going into him?_

"It's not like that. I like you more than a friend, and I want to be closer to you. For the first time, I feel so comfortable near a young girl", he spoke seductively. "What do you think, Shizuka? Would you like to be my _lover_?"

She pushed him away from her when he was going to kissed her. She maybe liked him, but this was too much. "I'm sorry, Asmodeus but I can't."

"Why? Do you reject me because I'm not good enough?"

"It's not that", she turned her face away from him.

"Then what is it? Tell me!", he grew furious as he grabbed her hands.

* * *

In the mansion, Lucifer went to find his siblings. He had tried looking for Asmodeus, but he was missing. "Iblis, do you see Asmodeus?"

"I saw him, Lucifer. He went out to meet Shizuka earlier. Why?"

Lucifer quickly ran towards the front door. He was afraid of Shizuka's safety. He couldn't waste anymore time.

"Wait, brother! Where are you going?", Egyn inquired him.

"I'm going to find our nephew! I have a bad feeling when I left. Something is wrong. I'm afraid that Shizuka is in danger."

"Wait a moment! We'll come with you!"

"No, don't! I'm the one who is responsible to protect her. If anything happens, I'll contact you!", he told them as his siblings were dumbfounded. _Damn it, Asmodeus! If you hurt her, I'll kill you!,_ he thought furiously as he tried looking for Shizuka.

* * *

"Let go of me, Asmodeus!", she tried to break free from his grasps, but his hold on her was getting tighter. He pinned her to the walls as he was going to kiss her. Realizing that one of her feet was free, she quickly kicked him on his groin, which left him moaning in pain. But before he was able to grab her, a light spirit suddenly appeared. A Seraphim.

"What?!", he shouted in surprise as it blew up and threw him away from her. Shockingly, Shizuka was fine despite the explosion.

She was stunned with the whole deal. Asmodeus thrown so far away from her as he lied inside the broken down old vacant apartment. Suddenly a hand snatched her arm and pulled her out of the alley. But how relieved she was to know that it was Lucifer. He came to save her.

"Lucifer! Oh God! I'm so glad you came!", she immediately hugged him.

"I'm sorry I'm late. Are you alright?", he questioned her as he checked out her wounds.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. You came just in time", she answered him.

"Alright, let's get you out of here."

But before they were able to do so, Lucifer heard a menacing chuckle from the inside of the torn apartment. "Wow! That hurts a lot. I got kicked, and blown by an explosion. That was unexpected", Asmodeus finally came out. His clothes was torn, and his body was shown to be on its way to heal. "But I should have known, since I saw that Seraphim. I have heard that you are very protective over her, uncle Lucifer."

The King of Light immediately stood in front of her. He couldn't let his maniacal of a nephew get a hold of her again. "I thought I have told you, many years ago, not to manhandle a woman. You are still the same since I left. You have no manners."

"Surprisingly, when I spent my time with her, she didn't complain. Then what did you call that?"

"I think you only do so to impress her. I see you still let your desire get a hold of you. You put us all in shame, Prince of Lust!", Lucifer admonished him.

Asmodeus suddenly roared as he heard of his title came out of his uncle's mouth. "Don't you dare talking like you are the most honorable of us all! In case you forgot, you have so many succubi in your palace!"

Shizuka turned her face on him in shock. Asmodeus was lying, right?

"Shizuka! Get out of here! I'll fight Asmodeus."

"What? I can't leave you! What would become of you, Lucifer?"

"I'll be fine! Go and find my siblings. They can help! Don't waste anymore time!"

"I won't let you go away, my dear!", Asmodeus ran to get her. But Lucifer had been ready for him. He punched Asmodeus in the gut and sent him to an open field. Soon, as he stood, they exchanged blows.

* * *

While Lucifer fought to defend her, she hid herself behind the nearby tree. The sight could give those who witnessed it shivers. Their fight was horrifying. Asmodeus covered in sweat and blood while he tried to land an uppercut on Lucifer, but he immediately avoided the attack by bent his back down fluidly and directed his fist on Asmodeus' abdomen. Lucifer then jumped up in the speed of light and whacked his right ankle on his stomach as Asmodeus gasped in pain. Lucifer looked fine so far, except some cuts on his cheeks and hands.

"Just give up, Asmodeus! No matter what, you can never defeat me. I told you to stay away from her but you didn't listen!"

"No! I'll show you how powerful I am!"

He wasn't kidding. What Lucifer didn't expected, was when Asmodeus suddenly breathed fire from his mouth, which quickly gained his attention and jumped back to avoid from getting hit.

"Ugh!", Lucifer grunted in pain. His left foot burned and the skin started to rot from the attack, but he quickly used his powers to heal it. _It seemed that he wasn't bluffing. The fire that he breathed looked to be poisonous. If I got another hit, I would get in trouble!_ ", he thought seriously of his fight. _I would have to take some distance, just to be safe._

"What's wrong, uncle? Do you surprised?", he questioned Lucifer smugly as he stood. "I have been training myself since you were gone. Do you know? All I want is your attention, but you turned your back and left me! Tell me, what kind of uncle is that?!"

"I decided to leave not only because I have other business to attend to. I decided to leave because I see that you have mature enough to live on your own! Do you forget all that I have taught you? You should be proud of yourself that you are finally able to live independently. Quit your tantrum!"

"Don't you understand? You're the one that taught me this way! You only told me to use my powers and acting like a prince I am. You never taught me how to adapt with my new life and job! I never asked to be a Demon Prince! What was exactly your reason that you nurtured me when I was a little?", he argued angrily.

He looked at the Prince of Lust, then answered sadly, "I took you under my wing because I saw how similar you are to me when I was younger. Both of us were lonely during our youth. I understand that you are mad because I left, but you can't gain my attention by trying to rape my best friend! Stop this Asmodeus, before it's too late! Don't you realize that your actions will caught the attention of those exorcists? They would kill you if they know you hurt even a single human! If you continue, all of us will be in danger."

"Tell me, uncle. What does she mean to you? I see that you care so much for her. Don't tell me that you're in love with this girl!"

* * *

Shizuka was surprised with his words. It couldn't be. Lucifer had never told her that he was interested in anyone. But seeing from the way he acted around her, he did treat her differently than the girls he met.

* * *

"I see that you are staying to see us", Asmodeus spotted her behind the tree. Shizuka flinched.

Lucifer was shocked knowing that she hasn't left. This girl! Couldn't she stopped being stubborn just for once? "Shizuka, why haven't you go? I told you to find help!"

"Even if I run away, Asmodeus would chase me! I want to help you!"

"You can't fight him! He's far stronger than you!"

Asmodeus immediately took his chance by the time he saw his uncle distracted. "He's right, you know."

"Asmodeus! Let go of her!", Lucifer shouted when he saw the Demon Prince took her as hostage.

"On second thought, no. You haven't answer my question. You better think of your words wisely, and perhaps I might reconsider my decision to take her as my mate", he taunted. And he averted his gaze to her, "How stupid of you to stay with him. Let me guess. He hasn't told you much about himself, right? Let me tell you, the demon which stayed with you this whole time is not only the second strongest of us all, but he's a crazy one too."

"You lied. Let go of me! He may not always telling me about himself, but I trust that he did it for a reason. You don't know anything about him since he lived in Assiah!", she yanked her hands from his grasps. "O Hecate-sama, I humbly summoned you to lend me your powers to fight against my enemies! Release me from his grasp!"

Asmodeus was shocked when he saw his hands was on fire. It seemed that this girl was a quite a force to be reckoned with. Shizuka quickly ran away before he had a chance to catch her. "I can't believe this! Where did you get those powers?"

"I'm a witch. My family and I have been serving the gods since as far as we can remember. Another thing, I'm an Exwire, which means I'm an exorcist in training."

He grew annoyed with the unexpected truth. He should have known! "You have become truly troublesome! Begone!"

Lucifer shot two powerful light explosives when Asmodeus directed his energy attacks on both of them. Their attacks clashed by the time he protected her from the impact.

The Prince of Lust finally lost his sanity. "You are too arrogant if you thought you can defeat me that easily!"

Both of them finally saw Asmodeus released his demon form. He turned into a beast with three heads : a bull, a human, and a sheep. His body turned muscular and his tail exposed. He possessed a demon heart that was similar to a rod with a ruby on top of it.

Lucifer gritted his teeth at the sight. His tail swayed in tense as it moved. "So this is how you want this to end, Asmodai? Fine, so be it."

"Lucifer, what are you going to do? I can sense his powers increased drastically."

"I can feel it too, Shizuka", he replied. "I have to finish what I started years ago. It's my fault that he turned this way. Get out of here! With Asmodeus finally turned into his true form, I have no choice but to transform as well. Go find Samael and Amaimon. Both of them can control him."

"Alright!", she affirmed to do his order. But before she went far, she had the chance to see Lucifer released his demonic form.

As the King of Light slowly turned his vessel, he seemed to have no drastic changes, but soon his horns appeared. They were so blinding as they were made of light, and his demon heart looked like a prism. It had a lotus like crystal petals underneath and a crown on top of it. She was amazed by his demonic look. Even in this form, Lucifer was still able to look majestic. He looked like an angel, or a god, if she dare said it.

The two finally went all out. Asmodeus' beastly form did larger than Lucifer's, but the King of Light had no significant problem fighting his nephew. Lucifer tried his best to calculate his timing in his recent transformation. Being in his first demonic form may increased both his physical strength and magic powers, but it also came with a deadly price. If he didn't careful, he could risk losing his sanity, or even worse, his vessel failed him. He could only be defensive as he collected his powers to attack him, and he needed to be careful.

Soon Asmodeus began to tire himself down. This was the chance! Lucifer directed his hand on him, and a gloria of light appeared from his fingertips. It sent Asmodeus landed on the ground with a loud thump and created a giant crater.

"Enough, Asmodeus", he finally spoken."If you don't stop now, I must call my father. This is your last warning!"

Unknowingly, Asmodeus flicked his finger and sent Lucifer into hallucination. Lucifer suddenly felt disoriented. "What is this?", he muttered.

He suddenly heard Shizuka's scream. He grew worried, but he tried to keep himself focused. He had told her to find his siblings, so she should be in the mansion by now. Soon, he saw a sight he had always been afraid of the most. He saw Asmodeus ravished her, and she succumbed to his seduction. _Calm down. This must be a hallucination! She's safe!_ , he thought hard to distract himself.

Asmodeus smirked smugly when he saw his uncle's expressions. He was clearly distracted by the illusion. But when he was on his way to track Shizuka, Asmodeus suddenly shocked by Lucifer's direct elbow on his head.

"I just can't believe you would try to distract me with that illusion. What a ridiculous trick. Do you forget? I'm also a demon responsible for insanity. You told me that you are training in Gehenna, but I don't see the proof. You are disgraceful!", he mocked his nephew.

"Actually, I saw your expression. You have a weakness. You have becoming too soft and reckless since you know her!"

Finally, Shizuka return to see Lucifer.

"Lucifer, I have told them our situation! Not only your siblings and bodyguards, my friends along with Shura, Yuri, and Shiro are on their way!"

Asmodeus suddenly opened a space portal and shot an explosive energy through it. Lucifer's blood ran cold when he knew Asmodeus' target.

"Shizuka, get away from there!", he warned her. Unfortunately, he was too late.

"Gaah!"

The sight of Shizuka thrown away and fainted from the attack snapped something inside of him. Anger ran through his entire being. "How... dare... you! I'm going to kill you!"

Asmodeus suddenly overwhelmed when Lucifer bombarded him with his assault.

Now Lucifer was on the brink of insanity. His slit green eyes filled with fury as he avenged her.

A couple of minutes later, Shizuka slowly awakened from her unconscious state. She saw that Lucifer attacked him nonstop. She immediately noticed that something was wrong with him. His body was injured without him knowing it. "Lucifer, stop! Your body is severely wounded. If you continue, you'll die!"

The King of Light finally snapped out when he saw her awake. He was relieved. Asmodeus clearly didn't like his plan spoiled, but before he could return his blow, Amaimon suddenly appeared.

"Hey, big bro! Sorry we are late!", Amaimon greeted him and took over the job. Soon his siblings, along with the Exwires, Shiro, Shura, and Yuri was on the scene. Homare and her comrades also came along.

"Huh! The backup finally arrived, isn't it?", the Prince of Lust muttered in disgust.

"So this is Asmodeus, the Prince of Lust? I can't believe that he is such a whiny brat!", Shiro taunted him.

Soon, Asmodeus turned into his final form and went on rampage against them. But with the Demon Kings, especially Mephisto on the scene, things were getting out of his hand. The Exwires did their best to help carry Shizuka to safety, while Astaroth, Azazel, and Iblis helped Lucifer to stand up. Homare, Lund, and Strom were helping them with the defense, with Saburota placing a protection seal.

* * *

The King of Light was coughing heavily when he saw Shizuka came to him. He had reverted to his normal state. "Shizuka, you came back."

"Of course I would. Do you really think I would be that heartless to leave you defeated by your nephew?", she hugged him. "Lucifer, I'm so sorry! I should have listened to you from the start!"

"It's okay."

"No, it's not! You were wounded heavily because of me. If I have never been close with Asmodeus, none of this would happen! I can't believe I trusted him", she cried in his arms when he embraced her. He had to admit that his body was in immense pain, but nothing was more agonizing than witnessed the girl so close to him hurting, both physically and mentally. He felt his tears rolling down his face.

* * *

"Hey big bro, a little help here!", Amaimon called for Mephisto as he took a hold on Asmodeus' hands. Asmodeus tried to freed himself. "Stop fighting, foolish nephew!"

"Eins, zwei, drei! Kuchens Kuckucksuhr!", Mephisto chanted a spell to summon his giant cuckoo clock. Amaimon immediately jumped out of the way when Asmodeus was imprisoned inside it, before the clock disappeared.

"That should do it. Honestly, Asmodeus is such a nasty opponent!", Shura complained over their situation. "The Order should know about this incident by now."

"I agree. It's only a matter of time before they came to investigate", Homare added.

As they averted their gaze, they saw that Lucifer hugged her tightly against him. Shizuka was still sobbing in his arms. They looked at the other in sympathy. Then, a Gehenna gate showed up and a figure of a young man with white hair, whitish complexion, and blue eyes suddenly appeared. Blue flames spread over his body.

"Father!", Egyn bowed before him, followed by his siblings.

"I can't believe it. This place is in shambles. I sense that you are in need, so I coming here. Where is Lucifer?", the god of Gehenna questioned his children, with Beelzebub pointed to the King of Light's direction. Satan seemed to understood his situation, especially with Shizuka was hurting. "I see. It must be my grandson's doing, right? Bring Asmodeus to me!"

Mephisto did as told. He summoned his cuckoo clock again, and freed Asmodeus from his cage. He had shown to be reverted to his normal form, and he was exhausted. He trembled seeing Satan.

"You foolish boy! You caused so much trouble everywhere you go! This actions of yours cannot be tolerated. You have endangered your uncle's peace mission. I would have to disciplined you. You are coming back with me to Gehenna, right now!"

"No, grandpa! Please, no!"

"Don't you dare fighting me!", Satan smacked his cheek. "You have been careless, and now you must bear the consequences. Perhaps enrolling you into work in Gehenna could put you in your place. Come with me!", he yanked Asmodeus' hand, and he finally followed his grandfather.

"You should have trained your son better, Mephisto", Shiro reminded him.

"I tried, but he is so stubborn like his mother."

"By the way, if anything happens Lucifer, don't hesitate to tell me. I would be glad to help that girl as well, to compensate for what has occurred here", Satan promised, which Lucifer nodded as his sign of gratitude.

After the god of Gehenna left, they checked on Shizuka's condition. She was only bruised on some parts, but from her expression it was clear that she's traumatized. It had been decided that they would accompany her on her way home.

* * *

Lucifer gazed vacantly to her as he saw her face. The shine in her eyes were gone, replaced by trauma and sadness. He thought of what would he explain to her parents. He asked to Homare, "If I may know, how did you all find us?"

"All of us were at the mansion when Shizuka appeared. She was terrified and we were shocked when we heard of what happened to both you. We thought that you will need a hand."

"I'm deeply grateful."

They arrived in front of Shizuka's house. Her parents were worried.

"Shizuka-chan, what's happening? Why did you look like this? Lucifer, what did you do to her?", Keiko accused him.

"We assure you Ma'am, we will explain what happened. In the meantime, let's get her inside, to give her some treatments", Mephisto spoken.

In the kitchen inside of her house, Yukio and Shura tended to her wounds. Homare, Shiemi, Izumo and Iblis accompanied her. They could hear that her parents were angry at Lucifer, while he tried to explain the incident patiently.

"I can't believe this! I can't believe that you are unable to take care of her. We trusted you!", Simon spoke vehemently. Lucifer bowed his head in shame beneath their wrathful gazes. They were right to be angry at him. He wasn't strong enough to protect her. He stayed silent after Mephisto and Shiro took their turns to speak with them.

It hurt Shizuka's heart when her parents put their blame on her best friend. She decided to went to the front room and explained the situation.

"Shizuka, wait dear! You can't move too much. We haven't finished tending your wounds yet!", Yuri hold her hands.

"I can't stay here. I can't bear to listen that my parents blamed Lucifer. This isn't fair!", she ran off to see them.

"No matter what, we would not let her coming back to True Cross Academy! It's clear that all of you are unable to put the safety of your students as your number one priority!", Keiko argued with Mephisto and the exorcists.

"Mom, Dad, stop! It's neither Lucifer nor anyone's fault that I get hurt! Stop blaming them!"

"Shizuka, we don't want you to get hurt any further! We'll put you in homeschooling! We have told you that being an exorcist is dangerous", Simon reprimanded her.

"I understand that you are only trying to protect me, but please listen! It's my fault that I'm being reckless. I still want to study in the academy! I cherished my friends more than anything. Please, Mom. I-I... I can't just leave them. I also want to help Lucifer!"

They thought hard of their only daughter's words. This was a difficult situation. They didn't want to see their daughter in danger, but it seemed that she had made her own decisions. They had finally decided to reconsider their plans to dropped out her study and putting their trust again on the King of Light. "Alright, we'll see. But promised us that this wouldn't happen again", Simon glared at Lucifer.

* * *

Lucifer was silent when he looked at her. He couldn't think of anything but her reason to stood up for him in front of her parents. It was clear that he had lost their trust, but she seemed to have unlimited trust in him. His feelings were torn between gratitude and shame.

Suddenly, the King of Light felt his body weakened. He started coughing heavily. This quickly gained the attention of people in the room.

"Lucifer, are you alright?", Astaroth questioned him.

I-I'm fine. It's nothing", he replied between his coughing. When he looked at his hand, he realized he had just coughing blood.

"You clearly aren't looking well! We have to take you home!", Yukio started ushered him towards the front door.

Shizuka was perplexed with Lucifer's condition. "What's going on? Where do you taking him?"

Lucifer suddenly groaned in pain as he was in his coughing fit. "Shizuka, don't look!", he told her when he covered his bloody mouth.

"We are very sorry, Shizuka, but we must go. We promise we'll explain everything later!", Beelzebub reassured her. Then the Demon Kings, along with the exorcists and the Exwire came out of her house.

"Wait! I don't understand! Where are you going?", she cried when they left. "Lucifer!"

* * *

In the mansion, they quickly took him to his room. In this state, Lucifer was going to pass out. He had lost too much blood. The exorcists and the Demon Kings quickly checked his condition.

"This isn't good! Lucifer's body... it's deteriorating! This must be happening due to his demonic transformation. Hurry, call for doctors!", Yukio grew panic. Lucifer's skin had showing some signs of rotting. It quickly spread over his body.

"Lucifer, hey brother, can you hear us?", Mephisto asked him. Unfortunately, before Lucifer had the chance to answer, he lost his consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the new chapter! Finally we have arrived in the part we have been waiting for. Now you know that Lucifer's finally showing his worries for Shizuka. Things are eventually leading to this : the fighting between Asmodeus and Lucifer. I know, you guys must be thinking that Asmodeus is a real brat. He does! I have been thinking about him as a demon who was completely dependent on Lucifer during his youth. Like we all know, a spoiled person will be difficult to be independent after they are growing up.
> 
> By the way, I need to say beforehand I'm very sorry for including the raping attempt in this chapter if any of you are feeling uncomfortable, and I'm sure there will be some of you who is feeling like this. Actually, this scene is taken from my own experience as a raping attempt survivor. I used to experienced the same thing (4 times!) when I was a little. Even though I was always succeeded to escape from the suspects, it still scarred me until now but at least I have started to open up to people, especially men. I have tried to make the scene here not so explicit, so I hope you're fine with this. Just so you know, I stand for you raping survivors, and through this chapter I would like to make an awareness against sexual harassment. Trust me, you're not alone! If any of you is experiencing a raping, quickly find help from authorities and tell this to people your can trust! Also, if you saw this, please give the victims immediate help! A quick help might be saving someone's life!
> 
> And for the fighting scene, I hope this is suitable to your liking. Finally we know what was going on in both of their experiences that lead to what happened. For the next chapter, as the spoiler, this is going to be hard for many people involved, especially Lucifer and Shizuka. This is going scarred her deeply. Let's hope for the best for both of them.
> 
> The next chapter might be going to be a little late, but I'll try my best giving you the new chapter, since I will have an intership in school as a teacher before working on my thesis started from next week until the middle of October. Being a final year college student is hard :(
> 
> That's all from me for today's update! I hope you enjoy this chapter. As always, please give me your kudos and comments, also follow this story for more amazing updates! See you next month!


	13. Chapter 13

Everything weren't the same since the fight against Asmodeus. The temporary peace that lasted those years suddenly replaced by tension of cautious acts taken by True Cross Order. They investigated the incidents related with the Demon Kings and the Exwires. The exorcists, especially Arthur questioned Mephisto and his siblings about their involvement with the Prince of Lust. Shizuka and her friends also went through the same. But, due to her delicate situation, the exorcists tried their best not to forced her, so she didn't get affected too much by her trauma.

* * *

In Gehenna, Satan gave Asmodeus punishments for his reckless actions. Satan gave him the usual jobs that Lucifer worked on in Gehenna in order to change his attitude. Asmodeus was definitely disagreed with his grandfather, but he finally took them so the god of Gehenna didn't give him further charges. At the same time, a dispute happened among the noble demons. They were questioning about the vacuum of power in the King of Light's position.

"Have you heard the rumors? Lord Lucifer is wounded in his fight against Asmodeus-sama."

"I have. I heard that the fight is bloody. Both of them changed into their true forms. Not to mention, so many humans were involved!"

"With Lucifer-sama's absence, there will be so many demons willing to take his place."

"This could be our chance!"

Satan immediately stood from his throne. "Silence, all of you!"

The words from the god of Gehenna stopped all discussions between the noble demons in the meeting room. Satan wasn't known for his patience among demons, and he couldn't let these morons had ridiculous opinions regarding his son's condition.

"I understand that you have many questions regarding what happened to Lucifer, but I will not allow any of you to make stupid assumptions. It doesn't matter that he's temporarily unavailable at the moment. He's still your king. I expect you to continue doing your duties, not becoming some opportunists in this hard time."

"But why do we have to do that? We can't continue our jobs without any clear instructions!", one of the demons questioned him.

"I will be in charge of his position until he recovered. I hope you all to be compliant, otherwise I'll have to do some actions to keep the order in this place. I'm sure you don't want me to do so, right?", Satan showed his flames to the demon which makes it quickly shut its mouth. "That's all for today. Back to your work!"

Satan groaned wearily as he sat back on his throne. He was surprised to hear about Lucifer's sudden deterioration from his children few days ago. It was so quick, it haven't even 10 years yet! He couldn't stop thinking about his son every day. He would like to see him soon, but the nobles were being troublesome. In this situation, coup d'etat would be highly possible. He grew worried about what would happen next.

"Satan-sama, have you heard anything else about the King of Light?", Vassago, another of Lucifer's underlings asked him.

"I haven't. You must understand, I barely had the time to visit my son, with the situation we are in now."

"We are worried, Sire. We haven't heard of his recent news from the Demon Kings in Assiah."

Satan could understand their concerns. Despite how strict the King of Light was, he always knew how to treat his followers well. No wonder so many of them were highly loyal to him. "I know that. Right now, I'm going to see him. Besides, I would like to see my beloved as well. I will let you know of his condition once I came back. I believe you can keep things moving in order while I'm gone."

"Of course, Sire!"

The god of Gehenna nodded, then poured some of his blood to create a gate to Assiah. Not long after that, he finally arrived in front of the monastery.

Shiro immediately recognized his presence. "Satan. How uncommon for you to come here in the middle of the day."

"I see that you're still holding your suspicion over me like always. It seems that even after all these years, you're still unable to accept the fact that Yuri is my lover, isn't it?"

He wasn't in the mood to face his cocky demeanor. "Ugh. What do you want?"

"I would like to see her. Please, call Yuri for me."

"Hold it for a moment. Rin, Yukio, can you call your mother? Your father needs her!"

The twins were taken by surprise knowing that their father came for a visit. "Father!"

"Hello Rin, Yukio. How are both of you doing?", he asked his sons affectionately. He patted their heads.

"We are fine", Rin replied. "By the way, mom is on her way out here. She had just finished her lunch."

Soon, Yuri came out to see her lover. She smiled at him. "Hello, Satan. What a pleasant surprise."

As always, Satan was mesmerized by her looks. He pulled her into his embrace and kissed her passionately. "Hello, my love. I'm sorry if I came without your notice first."

"It's alright. I'm sure there must be something that makes you want to come to Assiah."

"True. Can we talk about it inside?"

Yuri looked at Shiro with plead. He couldn't fight his best friend when she was using that expression. He finally nodded and ushered them into the monastery.

Taking his seat, Shiro finally questioned him, "So, you said that you have a reason to come here. What exactly is it?"

"I'm worried about Lucifer. I haven't heard of him again since Samael told me he lost his consciousness. The situation in Gehenna isn't getting any better. So many noble demons started to show their signs of rebellion", he shook his head remembered the sight in Gehenna. "How is his condition?"

"So far, he is unconscious since he got home after that fight. I think you can say that he's in a coma", Rin explained.

"The deterioration of his vessel spread in a fast extent. The doctors from Vatican are doing their best at the moment to stabilize his condition", Yukio added.

* * *

In the mansion, the Demon Kings sit near their oldest brother's sick bed. Lucifer was still unconscious. He was connected to life support machines and there were infusion on various parts of his body. He wore a breathing mask connected directly to his throat. His body was wrapped in bloodied bandages with his rotten skin showing.

"I still can't believe this is happening to him", Iblis placed her hand on her face in worry.

"Indeed. This has been 2 weeks", Azazel said as he patted her shoulder.

"How long will it take until he wakes up? ", Amaimon asked his older siblings.

"From his condition, I think it would take a while. At the moment, his vessel is working hard to replenish the powers that has been lost during his fight. Turning into his demonic form clearly took a lot of energy. Not to mention, he was drugged with high doses of sedatives, so his body can focus on healing itself", Egyn stated. "Let's hope he'll wake up soon."

* * *

In other place, Izumo, Paku, Shura, Homare, and Shiemi came to Shizuka's family household. They knocked the front door of her house. Her mother came out to meet them.

"Oh, hello everyone. What an unexpected surprise", she greeted them.

"Hello, Keiko-san. We are coming here to see Shizuka. Is she okay?", Izumo asked carefully.

Keiko thought for a moment. She was clearly stressed over her daughter's situation. "I'm afraid she's not. She was hurting deeply. This has been 2 weeks since the exorcists asking questions on her. Since then, she stayed inside of her room and hasn't come out. Even for eating, it's only every few days."

Paku and her companions grew worried. This wasn't good. Shizuka definitely needed help to get herself going again. The teachers and exorcists from cram school had been questioning about her whereabouts. "Can we get inside, Ma'am? We need to see her", Shura asked politely.

"Of course, but first let me get you all something to eat. She's still asleep."

* * *

Meanwhile, Shizuka was talking in her sleep. She had a dream of Lucifer's flesh rotting in front of her gaze. She moved, agitated.

"Lucifer!", she screamed as she awakens. She looked around her, and she realized that she was still in her bedroom. She wailed again remembering her dream.

It had been the same thing over and over again. In her nightmares, she saw Lucifer would be hurt while protecting her from being raped by Asmodeus. During the first days of her depression, she would blame herself for easily trusting a stranger. The next, she would blame her friends and family for being unable to understand her pain. She would also question every god she knows for their reasons of letting the tragic incident befallen her. Now, she felt numb. She had felt tired with her sightings haunted her in everything she did. Her days were agonizing, while her nights were just an extension of hell itself.

As she observed her looks in the mirror, so many things changed to her physical features. Her eyes were swollen due to her constant crying and her face turned pale from the lack of sleep. She was an utter mess. She suddenly heard a knock on her bedroom door.

"Shizuka dear, can you please open the door? Your friends and some of the exorcists are coming for a visit", Keiko spoken.

 _They must be going to interrogate me again_ , she thought, agitated. She had grew tired with their questions. She had given her testimony, so what did they want? She was hesitated. There were only two choices. If she decided not to open the door, they would stay outside and kept on nagging her; but, if she complies, they would be curious over her condition and wondering of her sudden changes. Besides, it made sense if they're coming. She skipped her school for 2 weeks. She finally permitted them to come inside.

Izumo and the others were shaken looking at her appearance. "What the hell? Shizuka, your hair!", they exclaimed. They did have expected that she would look terribly stressed, but nothing prepared them for this. Shizuka's hair grew longer than it was used to be. They reached her ankle. Time for a little make over!

* * *

Shura cut the girl's hair into its usual length, while Paku, Izumo, and Shiemi brushed it. Homare hold the mirror, so they could see her appearance closely.

"Wow, red head. I can't believe you would look like this after 2 weeks!", Shura joked.

"It's to be expected. She's stressed out so of course her body would change. So does her hair. She has becoming skinny", Homare responded while Shizuka kept herself quiet.

"Shizuka-chan, why haven't you get back to school? So many people are wondering, including the teachers and the boys", Shiemi inquired her softly.

"Well, just look at me. I'm still hurting. It's going to take a while for me to heal. I'm still shaken  after what Asmodeus did to me."

Of course. Asmodeus had traumatized her. When they came for a visit few days after the incident, she couldn't stop herself from crying. But this has happened for 2 weeks. She couldn't stay this way forever!

"Shizuka, what's your reason for that? I'm sure there must be something else you haven't told us", Homare questioned further. Right now, she didn't care if it looked like she was invading her privacy. This girl must stopped her habit of hiding her pain.

"You can be honest with us. We won't be angry", Paku said. She didn't answer.

Shura finally got pissed. She grabbed her hand tightly and said, "Shizuka, you better stop being so silent about your struggle. Just spit it out, girl. We are not like you! We can't read people's minds! We can't help you if you don't talk!"

"Let go of me!", Shizuka yelled, which suddenly made Shura surprised as the window glasses shattered. Izumo and her friends immediately covered themselves from the pieces of the window glasses.

This girl was too sensitive with the situation she was in now. The other girls suddenly realized that her reaction was exactly the same with when she was fighting against Asmodeus. She didn't attack them by purpose. She was just trying to protect herself.

She suddenly cried her heart out. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!"

"It's okay. I'm the one being rude. Sorry for that", Shura embraced her as she wept. "We can't take this anymore, dear. You can't shut people out forever. Sooner or later, you will need other people to help you. We can be those people. Now please, could you tell us your reason of why don't you go out and talk?"

"I'm tired with people questioning me too much! Don't you know? So many people, including Lucifer's fangirls blamed me for the incident that made him hurt. Even if I tried to clarify the truth, none of them would believe me!", she stated hotly. They patiently waited for her, as she continued, "Since that day, I can't stop but blaming myself that Lucifer is hurt for protecting me. I tried to contact his siblings, but none of them gave me any explanation about his condition. I wanted to see him! I'm so worried, and I missed him."

So this did relate with the King of Light. As they were about to talk to her, the twins along with Azazel and Iblis appeared in her room.

"Sorry we came without notice. We heard everything. Actually, we came here to let you know about Lucifer", Azazel said.

"Really? How is he?", she immediately stood.

The twins and the two Demon Kings took their seats. "We have to be honest, not only to you Shizuka, but to all of you in this room. Lucifer's condition... is bad. His vessel is deteriorated", Yukio stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

The people in the room was dumbfounded. "Wait a moment. What do you mean with deteriorate? I thought that demon vessels could not deteriorate", Simon questioned, flabbergasted.

"Actually, our bodies can. Deterioration is natural for all demons that possess human vessels. But, the rate of the deterioration itself differs to every demon, depending on how powerful that demon is and how much powers that is used to change into their true form. To Azazel and I, we have been using various vessels throughout the ages. It took us every few decades to change ours. Unfortunately, things weren't the same for our oldest brother", Iblis explained in details.

Azazel added, "Lucifer is the second strongest of us all, beside of being the most influential demon in Gehenna. But every time he possesses a human, his vessel deteriorates fast. Sometimes his body could not last more than ten years. That's why we wondered why would his body deteriorate like this, while for the first time he has an adequate one. Perfect vessels are very unlikely to deteriorate except on rare occasions. After we investigated, we finally know that his transformation took so much energy and it overburdened his vessel. We also realized that he was in deep sadness before the fight, which started the deterioration process. To us demons, if we showed our emotions, especially negative ones in front of other beings, we would lost our powers. That's why we hide most of them."

"So, what would happen if a demon vessel deteriorate?", Shiemi asked nervously.

"This means death for the demon. The only option for the demon to survive is to inhabit a new body, otherwise it will crystallize and return to nature."

Shizuka thought of their words. Then it would be possible that Lucifer was fighting on death's door. "I need to see him!"

"Unfortunately, that's not possible at the moment. He entered a coma since he passed out in the mansion, right after the fight. We don't know exactly when would he awake", Rin responded calmly.

"I'm still going to see him. He's my friend! How could you not tell this to me! Why? Why did you hide this?!", Shizuka got angry at the four of them.

"We are very sorry. We tried to find a better way to tell you, but we know that you'll be burdened more if you find out!", Yukio said. "Trust me, even all this is still hard for us to accept."

"At least you can just tell me the truth! I can't believe that you hid this from me for days!"

They weren't surprised with the reaction. Her bond with Lucifer was so strong. They were so in tune with each other, sometimes one of them could read the other's mind. Lucifer was surely a lucky fellow.

"Alright. We'll let you know in case he wakes up", Azazel promised her.

"Thank you, guys. If you need any help, just call me", she promised as well.

"By the way, Shizuka, I hope to see you return to school tomorrow. I understand that you're still healing, but all of us are willing to help you", Yukio reassured her.

"Okay then."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the mansion, Lucifer had finally woken up. His head felt dizzy and his sight was blurry. The more important thing, he felt incredibly sore. He coughed while he took a look around him.

"Hey, he's finally awake", Mephisto told his siblings. The twins and the other Demon Kings immediately surrounded him. "Hey bro, welcome back."

"Samael. How long was I asleep?"

"Actually, you're not asleep. You went in a coma, brother, for 2 weeks. It's a good thing to see you finally awake. You made us all worried", Mephisto answered. "How do you feel? Do you remember anything before you passed out?"

The King of Light understood that he questioned him out of apprehension. They must have been waited for him restlessly. "My body is in pain. I remember everything. As soon as I was coughing blood, I passed out by the time we arrived here that night."

Mephisto nodded. It seemed that even though he was sick, his memory was still functioning. "You must know Lucifer, the Order has been aware with your actions. They realized that you fought to protect Shizuka, but they would like to ask you a few questions."

"Really? I guess that even in my current condition, they would never leave me alone. They always do. Those humans are so demanding, just because I finally switched side", he sarcastically replied. "I would like to know how do I look."

The Demon Kings were shaken with his request. He would not like it if they told him the truth. "Um... I think it's better if you take a look by yourself", Egyn decided to show his appearance in the mirror.

Lucifer was shocked with his appearance. His condition was so bad, even his tail disappeared. His blonde hair and handsome looks were all gone. He took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Alright. I see it now."

"Another thing brother, Shizuka had been looking for you this whole time. She's asking to see you. Now that you're awake, would you like us to let her know?", Beelzebub asked their oldest brother.

Lucifer's expression turned grim. "No."

"Why not? If she comes here, both of you can have a talk."

"I said no. I don't want her to see me like this. She will only be frightened with my appearance if she saw me now."

"You haven't even try yet! What are you afraid of, Lucifer?"

"Can you just leave me for a while? Perhaps I would have to remind you that I'm ill at the moment. I need a good amount of rest."

The other Demon Kings wondered of his reasons. There he was, closed himself off from those who were trying to help him. They knew that Lucifer could be stubborn in many occasions. They finally left him alone.

* * *

Mephisto met Armumahel, Shemihaza, and the high class exorcists in the Vatican. After they heard about the King of Light's condition, a meeting was arranged.

"So your older brother has finally awakened?", Shemihaza inquired.

"That's true. He had just awaken yesterday afternoon. I'll have to say, his condition is like what we saw him all those years ago. His vessel is deteriorating, but surprisingly he could take it well. Maybe he had already accepting the risk of being in his demonic form", Mephisto explained curtly.

"I heard that he turned to face his nephew, which happened to be your son. Why did he do that?", Lewin asked curiously.

"He turned to save his best friend. You might have heard one of the Exwires that we accepted this year is a Wiccan. Her name is Shizuka Lovegood."

"Oh, that girl. I remember her from our mission in Mexico. A pure hearted human", Angel reminded of Shizuka. "A pure hearted human who made friends with one of the craziest demon in history. This sounds disgusting to me."

"But why would he does that? As far as I know, Lucifer is highly manipulative and egotistical. This is absurd!", Osceola raised one of his eyebrows.

"I think I have a strong hypothesis. Lucifer... is in love", Mephisto grinned at the audience.

The exorcists had an argument over his words. Many of them were disagreed with his deduction.

"It can't be! As far as I learn, your kind only know of lust, if not destruction!", Angel was against the idea.

"Actually, that is a nonsense. We know love, but only few of us experience it. Once we fall for a person, no matter if they are human or demon, we will stick with them until the end", Mephisto explained. "My brother and I may have been fighting each other years back then, but I still know him well. Actually, he's fascinated with you humans, but the problem is on you. You were used to misunderstood him in the past, so it makes sense if he gone mad beside of his vessels rotting. This girl, is the first one to accepted him for all he is. He had never encountered a pure hearted human before, and seeing from the way things running right now, he had already feeling comfortable with her. She saw Lucifer as a friend, and their bonds are strong. My brother is not a type who likes to lie, so we thought that he's genuinely interested in her. She showed him many positive aspects of humanity. She could be a great help to make him stay on our side."

"Right. But there's no guarantee if he would stay with us once she's gone. This is risky. He could lose his sanity again, like when our organization was first established."

"Just leave that part to us. We'll deal with that, so just relax", Mephisto made a promise to them. Actually, he never thought that his brother would experience love. This could be a good time to observe his changes.

* * *

Shemihaza finally decided to paid Lucifer a visit, accompanied by the Arc Knights, Paladin, and people from the Grigori Agency. The emperor and the King of Light were close acquaintances in the past. He would like to know his condition. Still, Lucifer was quite unpredictable, due to his closeted nature, so he must be careful. He finally arrived at the mansion two weeks later. What he never expected, was when he met Satan and Yuri.

"Satan, I never thought you'd come to this place", Shemihaza said.

"Hello. I see you have so many people coming with you", he greeted the Emperor of Creation.

"We are coming here to see Lucifer. What's your business here?", Arthur asked rudely.

"No need to be so rough, young man. I have no bad intentions. I'm coming here just like you. I would like to see my oldest son's condition. I also would like to visit my children and my lover."

Shemihaza finally ordered the exorcists to stand outside, with hesitation from some of them. "How is Lucifer?"

"You can see it for yourself", Iblis accompanied him.

Shemihaza was shocked to see him. Mephisto was right. "Lucifer, I can't believe your condition. This is like hell."

"Oh, you came. As you can see, there's nothing much I can do at moment, so I apologize for my looks."

Shemihaza hold his hand, "I see that the exorcists have done their best to take good care of you. Why do you stay in your vessel? Don't you think it's going to be a great suffering if you're in this body? Why don't you leave for a while and find another vessel?"

"I still can't abandon this body yet. I still have something to attend to. No matter what it takes, I'll push myself, so I can heal."

Shemihaza didn't like his words. In the past, Lucifer was very much attached to his vessels. He had tried to persuade him to leave in peace every time he was nearing his death, but he was just plain stubborn! "Don't tell me that the reason you wish to stay is so you can see that girl."

The King of Light was silent. "It's not that. I still want to help you."

"Don't play dumb with me. I know that you are trying to help us, and I appreciate your good intentions but I thought you told me that she's just your acquaintance. It seemed that she's more than that to you, isn't it? Why can't you just be honest with me?"

"I think I need another sleep. We can talk later", Lucifer changed the topic of conversation.

"Lucifer, I'm not leaving until you tell me the truth! What's going on with you? When Sir Pheles told me that you changed into your demonic form, you did so to protect her. Did that girl, Shizuka, mean something to you?"

"I told you, I need some sleep. Can you give me some time alone?"

"Goodness, just talk to me! She's important to you, right? I also heard that you don't want to see her because you're blaming yourself for being weak. I don't think so. I think you are strong, but you let your fear get a hold of you!"

The room started shaking by the time Lucifer clenched his hand. The breathing mask that he used was off of his mouth. The machines supported him was broken from the vibration. Shemihaza got panic from his sudden change, and the exorcists waited outside enter his room. "How... cruel! How dare you! Don't talk to me like you understand my pain! You have no idea how it feels to fail protecting the one you love!"

The people in the room were in shock with his confession. _How unexpected_ , Satan and Samael thought inside their minds.

"Big brother, is that true? You fall in love with Shizuka?!", Iblis questioned him, unable to believed her own ears.

"I'm so in love with her. At first, I thought that this feeling is temporary. But the more often I see her, the greater this feeling grows. I used to believe that demons like us is impossible to feel compassion. She proved me wrong. I want to see her happy every day, and it pains me to see her sadden. That's why when I saw her crying in my arms, I thought that... I failed her. If only I'm strong enough, she doesn't have to get through all this mess. I'm weak, can't you see?!", he confessed. He started crying when he remembered Shizuka's condition. "I can't leave my body, not now. I'm afraid if I use another vessel, she won't recognize me. Please, help me heal myself."

Iblis and her brothers sympathized him. No wonder he closed himself from people. Lucifer was afraid of being taken advantage of his own feelings. Shizuka was incredible to be able to make him being this honest.

"Rin, call her now. Lucifer needs her", Mephisto called him as he handed him his phone.

* * *

Shizuka was in her room, working on her left off assignments while she skipped school. Her phone rang. "Hello?"

" _Shizuka, it's me. Can you come to the mansion immediately? It's about Lucifer, and it's urgent_ ", Rin spoke to her in the phone.

* * *

Lucifer's ears caught Rin speaking on the phone. "Who are you talking with? Don't say that it's her!"

"We have no other choice, brother. You need a help. We are tired with your self blaming! She had been looking for you this whole time, and you shut her out for a month. You have to talk to her", Azazel admonished him.

"I told you not to tell her about my condition. You are ignorant fools!", Lucifer finally snapped. "That's it. Get out, all of you! Leave me alone!"

They immediately exited his room. The Demon Kings and the twins sitting on the front room, accompanied by the god of Gehenna and his queen. The exorcists, Shemihaza, and those from the Grigori Angency had left earlier. It was no use talking with him at the moment. They just hoped that Shizuka could talk some sense into his mind.

* * *

Shizuka arrived at the mansion. She saw them sitting wearily near the door. "Hey, what happened?"

"So many things happen earlier. Right now, all of us can't face him. He's too stubborn. That prideful bastard", Astaroth replied peevishly. "We don't know anyone to ask for help any longer. Please, Shizuka, talk to him."

She knocked on Lucifer's bedroom, and she was gaping. This room was definitely much bigger, wider than hers. To her, the ornaments and decorations of the room was exquisite. She had never entered Lucifer's bedroom before, and she must say, this room fitted perfectly for its inhabitant, a king. But she had no time to take another look at the entirety of room. Her eyes were only directed to one figure laid in bed, her best friend. She was stunned at Lucifer's appearance. "Hello, Lucifer", she greeted him, trying to hide her slightly cracked voice.

"What are you doing here?"

It hurt her heart hearing his monotonous tone. But she came here on their requests. She was also longing for him, and she won't back down. "I came here to see you. Your siblings have told me about your condition. Lucifer, I'm so sorry."

"There's nothing to feel sorry for. I'm fine."

"No, you're not okay! You got hurt because of me. Rin and the others told me that you kept blaming yourself for what happened."

 _This is not going to get us anywhere_ , he thought sadly. "Don't you feel afraid seeing my body? The deteriorating form of a demon vessel is never a pretty sight."

"I'm not afraid at all."

"Such a pretty lie. You are clearly afraid of me. I can see it in your eyes. Why don't you just go home?", he ordered her authoritatively.

She couldn't believe he was this stern! "Oh my God! Don't you hear yourself? You have never been this harsh on me before. I'm only trying to help you!"

"No one can help me. Every time somebody tells me so, in the end they will use my generosity for their own gains. I hate liars."

"Lucifer, I'm not lying! I'm truly wanted to help! Please, don't do this. Don't you remember? You are my first friend, my best friend! I care about you! Doesn't that mean anything to you?", she pleaded to him.

Seeing her in tears broke his heart. He didn't want to do this, but he needed to let her go. Otherwise, she would on keep getting herself in trouble from facing his enemies. He stayed silent.

She wiped the tears from her eyes. She hoped that he would say something to contradict his previous words, but he clearly wouldn't move. "Your siblings are right. You are such a prideful demon. I can't believe you would throw me away! Not only that, you rejected those who are only trying to make you feel better. You know what? If that's what you want, I'll go. But you must know this Lucifer, you are such a coward! I hate you!"

Her last word broke his facade. He clearly didn't think, his best friend and the one he fell for would hate him. He did want her to go for her own safety, but hearing her mouthed them made his feelings in conflicts. Before she was out of his room, he stopped her. He had to, before she left him for good. He couldn't bear the familiar feeling of loneliness again, not after he had found such a good person like her. "Shizuka, wait."

"What?", she asked him back in disbelief.

"Wait. Would... would you come here for a moment? Please?", he asked weakly. He had never felt this insecure before.

She walked towards him, and he straightened his back, so he could take a look at her. He caressed her soft cheeks while he looked at her eyes. Making her cried would be the last thing he did. Oh, how he hated it to hurt her feelings.

"Shizuka, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. It was never my intention", he apologized as he hold her hands.

"Then why did you pushed me away? Am I really that much of a burden?"

"Actually I didn't mean to. You must know, you have never been a burden to me. I was afraid that you would run away when you saw me like this", he replied while he closed his eyes, tried to calm the fast beating of his heart. "You are right, I can't stop blaming myself after what happened to you. If I was stronger enough, you wouldn't be hurt."

"It's not your fault. Besides, I was wrong for not being careful when I was close to Asmodeus. You must know, I won't go away no matter what your condition is. You are very precious to me."

He felt at peace. She had always amazed him with her kindhearted nature. This girl in front of him, had held his heart without her realized it. He was glad knowing he had fell for a right girl, and he would like to see her fully healed from her trauma.

"I heard that you were depressed from the incident. Are you okay?", he asked her gently.

"I am, but I'll be fine. For now, I would like to help taking care of you until you're back in shape. If you can heal, then I will be the same in no time. Now, would you let me help you? I know that you have so many things that makes you unable to forgive yourself, but the best way to heal is not to run away, but to face it and try to find a way to get through. Let me return the favor."

"I see some people helped you while I'm gone", he smiled at her. She nodded earnestly. "Alright."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Welcome to the new chapter. I made this update to celebrate my birthday (actually it's October 2, since I'm following Indonesian Time hahahaha!). So as you can see here, this chapter is the first angst that you will see in this story. To be honest, this chapter is the hardest part I have ever written. I don't know why, but this chapter gives me some difficulties to write. Just a little heads-up, I'm not really good at angst, perhaps because of my quite untrained emotions in real life. I promise I will make better angsty scenes in future chapters. Oh well, at least now we finally saw something here revealed!
> 
> Wow, Lucifer is falling in love! Who would have thought? Hahaha, in my headcanons, I always thinking that he's not as heartless as he looks like. I picture the way he confessed that he loves Shizuka to the exorcists and his family from chapter 104, but this time he's more emotional in my version. I do heard myths about demons can lose their powers when they show their emotions directly, and this idea interests me, that's why this also becomes one of the crucial point in this story. Lucifer has hidden his emotions for a long time tho, so of course it would shown sometime soon. I'm sure you guys are curious about what would happen next, so here's a clue : Shizuka will finally know more about Lucifer personally. It's gonna be interesting for sure!
> 
> As always, don't forget to give me your likes and reviews. Your feedback are important for me to continue this story! I will update again this month, so be ready for surprises. See you!


	14. Chapter 14

"Hey look, it's him."

"Oh, Lucifer, the so-called King of Light. The false god."

"Why is he still here? I thought no one wants him."

"I don't know. He's known as a fallen angel too, right?"

_Stop._

* * *

"You are the ultimate image of evil. Go away! You don't belong here!"

_Stop it!_

"In the name of God, go away and back whence you came, demon!"

"Don't let his beautiful look deceive you. No matter how good-looking or kind he is, he's still a demon!"

"Heh, so his flesh rotting, isn't it? Good riddance! This world is better without him."

* * *

_Demon. Demon. Demon._

_Stop. Stop it! Stop it! I'm not a demon!_

* * *

Lucifer was finally awakened from his slumber, sweating. He groaned loudly as he felt his body was in pain. It had been many times he experienced this. Every time the effects of the drugs wore off, he would be awakened and moaning over the condition of his vessel. Sometimes this happened in midnight and this made his insomnia worsen. He had enough with the constant suffering. The smell of alcohol to washed away his wounds. Lying in bed all day, unable to do anything but looking at his deteriorated body and tried to ignore the pain. The exorcist doctors, drugged him to give his body some time to heal.

Mephisto knocked on his door. "Hey big bro. It's time to wake up! The healers are here!"

 _Great_ , he thought sleepily. "Alright, I'm already up. Thank you, Samael. Send them in."

Same routine every day. Every few hours, the exorcist doctors would work together with healer demons from Gehenna that sent by Satan to take care of him. They would help him cleaned his body and applied antiseptics and other various salve medications to his skin, in order to improve the healing of his vessel. They would have to be gentle, otherwise he would be mad and make complaints, which would lead them in trouble if the god of Gehenna knows.

Lucifer looked at the clock as they helped him to wear his hospital clothing. It showed 13:00 o'clock. _She's almost here_ , he smiled. He silently counted. One, two...

"Hi Lucifer", she greeted him as she came inside of his room.

"Hello Shizuka. Did you just finished with your classes?"

"Yeah. I got myself lots of homework after I skipped school. Most of them are almost done, but the teachers keep on giving more! I can't believe it", she complained as he chuckled.

* * *

Since she visited him after their argument, things proved to be better. Despite Lucifer was still in pain as usual, they felt much more bearable compared to most days. She motivated him to heal. Shizuka also felt that since Lucifer accompanied her, she had started to forget about her trauma. Of course, sometimes she still has those nightmares, but they rarely came.

"I'm sorry if you saw me like this. You must feel uncomfortable with my appearance, especially you are tired coming here after your study", he apologized while blushing, which made the doctors and healers tried their hardest not to snicker. Realized their behaviors of laughing at him, he reminded, "What are you looking at? Continue your duty."

"It's okay, Lucifer. I told you, I'm not going to leave, right?", she held his hand while he was embarrassed. "By the way, who are these guys? I have never seen them before, besides of the exorcists."

"They are healer demons. They are working directly under the orders of the royal family in Gehenna. Father sent them to help me heal sooner. Not to mention, the exorcists wanted to learn about how to handle deteriorating demon vessels, so these healers are the best to ask for help", he explained while they bowed before her.

"I see."

Soon, they finished wrapped some bandages over his feet. They helped him lied in bed, and they left.

Shizuka sit near his bed and examined his look closely. "I see that you have improved nicely. The deterioration has disappeared on some parts. Even you finally regrow your hair. Your face also look better, except for those cottons on both sides of your cheeks. I like it when you finally back to your handsome looks."

"So you think I'm handsome, even though I'm look like this?", he joked, which made her suddenly blushing red. He chuckled at her immediate awkwardness. _Of course, I'm handsome. I'm glad you started to realize it,_ he thought pridefully.

"You surely are conceited. Not surprising to me. By the way, I heard that you were complaining endlessly while the doctors took care of you before I got here. I know that it was few days ago, but I just want to make sure", she questioned him. He was suddenly nervous. That could be the answer for her.

She suddenly twisted his right ear, to scolded him. He moaned in surprise.

"Hey, what was that for?"

"Lucifer, I can't believe it! So it's true? I never thought that you are such a crybaby!"

"Please, don't call me that. My siblings would nag me nonstop if they heard you. Besides, the doctors did touch some of my wounds. They are really hurt!", he complained.

She shook her head. "Honestly Lucifer. At least, you could be more patient. Would you also do that if I were in their position?"

 _Nope, besides I know that you would look creepy if I make you angry. I don't want you to be sad seeing my deteriorating body too_ , he could only thought but didn't dare said it loud. His siblings would laugh at him if they knew a young girl like Shizuka scolded him. Imagine, the strongest Demon King being reprimanded by a human girl!

He started to think of what happened that morning. He couldn't believe that after all these years, he would be haunted by his past. Last time it happened, it was many centuries ago.

He saw Shizuka brought her textbooks out of her bag, along with her notes and pens. Of course, she wasn't forgetting her favorite headphone.

"You bring your headphone. I remember you love music so much. Do you want to work on your papers?", he was amused at her habit of brought it everywhere with her.

"Yeah, I hope you don't mind if I work on them here", she asked for his permission.

"I don't mind in the slightest. Please proceed."

When she started working on her assignments, Lucifer observed her face. She definitely took them seriously. Just like him, she was hungry to learn. This has become their routine every day. They would spend each other's company in various ways. One of them was like this; she would work on her homework with him watching over her. Sometimes she asked for his help if there were few things she didn't understand.

He thought of her expression to be interesting. Her eyebrows furrowed as she read over her reading reports. She would bite her lips when she found something that caught her attention. It seemed that she was enjoying her time quite a lot.

When she switched to work on her Demonic History assignment, she groaned wearily. He wondered what was inside of her mind.

"Shizuka, what is it? Is there something wrong?"

"I literally can't believe this! My teacher gave me a particular assignment for presentation in front of class next week."

"Is it really that hard, or is there something else?"

"The teacher gave this assignment only to me. Here's the note so you can understand it better."

He straightened his back, so he could sit, and he took the note she gave him. The note completely took him by surprise.

_Shizuka-san, I understand that you are well knowledgeable when it comes to demon history. Right now, I would like to ask you this as your assignment for your absence during your study last two weeks. I know that you are close friends with the King of Light, and I hope that you can interview him to know further about his past. As you know, in history his background was various in many regions and era, yet, still so many things hidden about him. I want you to tell about him based on his perspective, and write down the results in the form of historiography paper. Don't forget to submit them to me and give presentation in class next week on Thursday._

He thought of the whole thing he had just read. Somehow, this linked to his nightmares last night. Actually, he had experience this since he was awaken from his coma. Could this be a sign for him?

Shizuka became concerned looking over his face. _Am I making a mistake by showing him the note_?, she thought anxiously. She was so afraid that he would refuse. All this time, she understood that he closed himself from people when it comes to his own past. Seeing him in pain put her in doubts. She was hesitated to ask him, but at the same time her curiosity peaked again. Not to mention, the assignment given to her required her to ask him directly. What would she do? "Lucifer, are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm alright. I was just thinking, actually I was having this dream over and over again since I'm awakened from my coma. Apparently, they were related with this whole event."

"Really? What kind of dreams you had?"

"Please promise me that you wouldn't be scared of what I'm going to tell you", he asked her. She nodded. He took a deep breath, "I have nightmares about my past life. They have been haunted me for a while."

This reality dumbfounded her. She became awkward. If he had nightmares like that, his past must be terrible. She felt sorry for him and started reconsider her decision to ask for his help. Nevertheless, she would like to know about what happened to him. "I'm really sorry to hear that. How often do this happens?"

"Every time I'm awake from my slumber, they disturb me. I have done many terrible things in the past, and those memories... they just won't go away. Last time this happens, it was centuries ago."

"You know, you can tell me everything. I mean, we have been friends for years, since I was a little. I promise, I won't go, no matter how terrible it may sound. I'm here to listen, Lucifer", she reassured him while she held his hand gently.

He wanted to tell her this for the longest of time, but he was afraid. Would she continued to stay with him once she knows all about him? If he tell this to other people, they would misjudge him, and those humans would despise him once again. As he looked at her eyes, he saw such an acceptance. She was so pure, so honest. Maybe he could give her a chance to know further about him. Besides, she had done nothing but being truthful with him. "You must know, not all stories about me is pretty. Some of them were so frightening, you might not going to stand them. Are you sure you want to listen?"

"Of course, I would listen to everything you want to say."

He smiled, then he started. "Alright. Then let me tell you an old story. You might have heard or reading many things about me. Stories about me are various, but you must know first, that actually beings like us, we are concepts."

"What do you mean?", she asked curiously. She laid her head on his bed.

"We are existed because of your imagination. That's the simplest way to explain. Humans imagined that there are other superior beings compared to themselves according to their beliefs, that's how we exist", he told her. "If you see me without my vessels, I am nothing but similar to my element, a ray of light. I have been wandering around the world in that form, watching you humans. In Greece, you probably have heard that my other name is Phosphorus."

"Oh yeah! I have heard of that. You are also associated with Venus, because of how bright it is during the dawn", she replied excitedly.

He chuckled, "I have been using various vessels throughout the ages. The humans had finally called me by my true name during the time of Romans."

She was amazed by his story. She waited for him as he continued, "The feeling to be incarnated in a human body... it was the most spectacular feeling I have ever experienced. I started developing my own ego and personality. I'm the first to be incarnated among my siblings, and I was born when the humans have started to discovered sophisticated ways of living. You can say that I was born during the times of great kingdoms. During my first incarnation, I was so different from what you used to know me. I was so similar to a child, always ready to learning more about everything around me. As the time goes by, I started helping humans developed their cultures further. That's how I got my other names : the keeper of knowledge, a teacher, a friend, a rescuer, and many more. Most importantly, humans called me a god. They referred me as the god of sun. I was the embodiment of life itself. I gave humans my knowledge, and in return they gave me their respect and adoration. I dwelt in pleasure the humans offered me. But you must know, I'm not a type who likes to play with women, unlike my siblings."

Shizuka laughed, already guessed he would say that. "Do you ever had a mate before?"

Luicfer snorted, tried not to blush in front of her. "No. All I ever care about was giving humans knowledge as many as I can. I realized that my siblings and the others like us were also incarnated, so we worked together for the best of humanity. All went well, until I experienced my vessel deteriorated for the first time."

"When did it happen?", she asked, concerned for him. It must be painful, like what he experienced at the moment.

He turned grim, "It happened ten years after my existence. The pain was excruciating. Perhaps you as a human wouldn't know how it feels, to feel your body rot, eaten alive inside out. I wondered, what have I done to deserve to experience this. I tried to understand that this is part of the cycle of life, since I saw so many of you born and died at the same time every day. So, I decided to keep my mind out of it and live in another body every time it happens. I have done so for many times I have lost count. Demon vessels don't age like normal human body, but they can still deteriorate. Perhaps my siblings have explained that to you. Unfortunately, things didn't go well after that. Tell me, Shizuka, have you heard of demonization?"

"No. What is the relation of it with your condition?"

"I knew it. Of course your teachers wouldn't inform you students about this in cram schools. Those hypocrites", he cursed in slight disgust. He calmed himself, "Demonization is the term used to picture benevolent aspects as something diabolical. That happened to me in the past. This happened when the major religions, especially Christianity emerged. The religious humans started to put their faith in other deity, then left me and my kind. They even called me something worse, a demon, while all I want is to help."

"What did they do to you then?"

"They mocked me. They called me terrible names. I'm sure you have heard me being called as 'a fallen angel', 'the king who fell from grace', and the personification of the sin of pride. They even cast me out!", he informed her. "This is cruel! How unfair! I have done nothing to harm them, and they blamed the cause of their problems on me. They were the ones responsible for their own mistakes, and so evil of them to put others to blame! How arrogant of them to think that they are the strongest living being while they are the easiest to be possessed. They also didn't think that I was suffering living in a mortal body. I was envious towards my younger siblings, since they could acquire vessels without any significant problem and my hatred get stronger when I saw Samael acquired adequate vessel. I was in dispute with him. That angel of death... he believe that chaos, where different beings coexist despite the conflicts is the true peace. I thought otherwise. I believed that by equality, different living beings experienced both joy and sadness together, there will be peace. All I want is for this world to be filled with gentle light! It's a modest hope! But I couldn't do it if my vessels isn't strong enough to contain me. I finally couldn't take it any longer, and that's the start of my war against humanity."

"I persuaded some of my siblings and underlings to help me fighting humans. I deemed that this earth needs to be cleansed from its impurities. I caused not only war, but also disasters, plaques, and deaths everywhere I go. I didn't care at all of what would happen to humanity. All I care about was how to make these humans feel the same injustice me and my kind had. I dwelt myself in the pleasure of seeing other beings' suffering I finally lost my mind. My other brothers who were disagreed with us finally worked together with the Emperors, Shemihaza and Armumahel to help humanity defend themselves. They did so by mated with humans and gave them the knowledge of exorcism. Then, they established what we know now as True Cross Order."

Shizuka was stunned. This... all this revelations didn't explain in the textbooks of cram schools owned by various branches of True Cross Order headquarters all over the globe! Lucifer who was talking with her, told her about his past in such high details was so different compared to the one she had known since she was a child. This demon used to be an ultimate agent of evil, responsible for the pain and sadness of all mankind! She did hear that he had fought against humans, considered himself as a supremacist, but hearing him told them himself felt so... unreal! It was highly possible that his words right now mixed together between truths and lies. But, the way he spoke them sounded like a confession. If put in thought, she felt like one of those priests in the church. Lucifer was the sinner, and she was the priestess, listened to him confessing his deepest and darkest mistakes. It seemed like she didn't know him at all, despite their time together. "Are you sure... about your words? You're not lying to me, right? Tell me this is just my imagination", she questioned him in disbelief. She tried her best not to cry.

"Unfortunately, that's the truth about me. I'm not a type to lie like most of my kind. Like I said, I hate lies. I don't need a reason to do so", Lucifer answered her sadly. He felt naked by telling her the truth. But this was important. She must knew everything about him. Perhaps, with her help, everything could be settled in a better manner by knowing the truth about him firsthand. "After a long fight for centuries, my brothers, Samael and Azazel along with their allies finally defeated us. We had an agreement with each other. At first, they sealed me in Gehenna, and after some time I was allowed to blend in the human society, but if they ever find me causing any more mayhem, they will seal me for good. During my exile, I realized my mistakes, but it was too late. I became what humans afraid of the most, the demon itself. Since then, I disguised myself among you and observed you humans from afar. Around fifteen years ago, we met something entirely different, even more powerful than myself."

"Could it be... Satan?", she wondered. _This must happen nearing Rin and Yukio's births_ , she deduced.

Lucifer nodded. "We met our father. We believed him as our creator, the one that gave birth to us all. He quickly recognized himself as the god of Gehenna. Of course, I decided to serve him as the firstborn. Since then, I decided to stay in Gehenna and rule over the lower demons by his side. I just found out that some lower demons caused troubles in Assiah a few years ago. We couldn't let it happen any longer, otherwise the same thing would happen again in present time. That's why I worked as the peace ambassador represent Gehenna to negotiate the peace between both of our kinds."

He suddenly saw Shizuka was clutching his bedspread. She was in tears. He quickly sat and pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry for telling such a sad story. Are you okay?"

"What you experienced... it sounded so unfair! You are the kindest person I ever met, despite being a demon. I understand now. No wonder I saw you always look gloomy all the time. You were burdened by your past. Lucifer, I'm so sorry to hear that", she told him as he nuzzled her cheeks to calmed her down.

"I'm the one who should be apologized. I have done many crimes against your kind, and my sins cannot be redeemed. I'm the figure of evil. I don't deserve your pity. Don't you feel afraid of me? In case you forget, sometimes those exorcists still afraid of me despite me have finally switched side to humanity", he questioned her.

"I'm not afraid at all. I know that you must have a reason to tell me your past now. I'm glad that you're finally being truly honest to me. Thank you for telling me."

"You have no idea how much that means to me. I was actually going to tell you this some time after we met, but you were still a little. I don't want you to be scared of me, that's why I told you this now, when you have finally mature enough to understand. I hope you don't find me too late."

"I don't find you that way. I always believe in second chances, and I also think that our past don't define us. Lucifer, I think your duty now can already make you forgiven by humans. I know that you were making mistakes and got lost, but you finally return to the right track, despite everything that happened. You are a _good_ person, Lucifer. I promise I'll be with you along the way", she hugged him.

Lucifer hold her cheeks and brought their foreheads closer to each other, "Thank you, Shizuka. I truly don't deserve to have such a great friend like you. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again." _I hope that you would realize how much I love you, my beautiful lady_.

Shizuka wondered of what Asmodeus have told her. "What Asmodeus said is true then? I have been thinking about it since the fight."

"That is true. I'm sorry for not telling you about him from the start. I don't want you to get in trouble. But I think I can't do much either. Whatever he wants, he will stop at nothing until he gets it. So much like his parents", he bowed his head in shame. Nevertheless, she nodded, to accepted his apology. "He wasn't used to be that way in the past. He used to be a friendly child, despite everything that happened to him. He was such a good boy, always ready to listen and help. He started to change after he grew up and gained his first mate."

"What happened to him?"

"He... he lost control over his lust. Every time he met a woman, it would be highly possible that the woman will belong to him. I have never stop thinking that he had so many lovers, even in Assiah, and I have tried to warn him of what will happen if he's unable to hold himself. He's highly seductive, that's why I told you not to get too close to him. I'm afraid something bad would happen to you", he spoke as he touched and intertwined the fingers of his hands with hers. "Although, I'm glad to see that you are able to resist his charms. Not many women can do that."

"I guess that's related with my nature as a pure hearted human, don't you think?", she wondered.

"Indeed. That's why I'm fascinated with humans, especially one like you. You hold so many great potentials", he confessed, which made her blushed again, made her look even more prettier to him.

"So, when we met, you were on your first day of work?", she suddenly blurted, to change the course of their conversation. If they continued this way, she could feel something confusing would happen to her.

"That might sounded unbelievable, but yes", he replied as they laughed together. "I was on my way home from the meeting with the prime minister. The meeting was quite hard for me to deal, considering it's my first time dealing with humans after I lived in Gehenna for so long. That's where I heard that you were in trouble. Do you know, I was here for first two weeks to adapt with your lifestyle. You humans are fascinating. But still, I find some of them to be confusing. I don't have even the slightest idea why would humans like you have so many social medias."

She chuckled, "If you really are that curious, I'll help you understand on how to use them."

"Sounds like a plan. By the way, have you taken notes of our talk earlier? You have an assignment to interview me, remember?"

"Don't worry about it. I got it right here", she said to him as she pointed out her forehead. He laughed at her hilarious action while he watched her wrote down everything she heard from him.

"Shizuka?"

"Hm?"

"Actually what I have told you today is just a little of my experiences. I promise I will tell you more about myself in the future."

Shizuka beamed with excitement. "I'll be waiting for your stories!"

By the time she was done, Mephisto and his siblings came into Lucifer's room to check on both of them. Lucifer was smiling while asleep. Shizuka sitting on a chair and laid her head next to his bed and her eyes were closed. Lucifer rubbed her head gently.

Iblis and Beelzebub chuckled. They were definitely two of a kind. How amazing to see the King of Light showed her his affection. They had always known that their oldest brother could be highly attentive towards those he cares about. It would be great if she returned his feelings. They decided to let them continued their sleep.

* * *

Shizuka was finally doing her presentation in front of her class, and things proved to be interesting that day. So many of her friends asked her questions out of curiosity. So much of the details became addition to their subject, and it was amazing she succeeded in her assignment.

"Shizuka, so it's true? The infamous Black Death that was spread during the Middle Ages was Lucifer and his underlings' doing?", Bon asked her.

"Actually it was Astaroth's, since he was on Lucifer's side during his fight against humans that was cooperated with Mephisto and Azazel. But the plaque did spread over nearly every continent around the globe. Astaroth summoned his kin, the Impure Clan to spread the epidemic plaque."

"Then how about the nephilims? I thought they had appeared centuries before this event", Shiemi questioned.

"Indeed, the nephilims had existed since before the war began. This time, they played significant role during this battle against the hostile Demon Kings and their followers. They helped the humans established True Cross Order."

"You told us that against Mephisto and Azazel, Lucifer teamed up with Iblis, Egyn, and Astaroth. Then how about Amaimon and Beelzebub? Did they choosing sides at the time?", Renzou inquired.

"You must know, Renzou, my younger brother and I were neutral. We knew that our two oldest siblings were at each other's throats, but we decided to stay out of their conflict. Both of us were uninterested. Not to mention, we are the seventh and eighth in order of the royal hierarchy of Gehenna, so we are weaker compared to our older siblings. Of course, we still can fight and choosing sides if we wanted to. If I was given an offer that time, I would choose humanity. Besides, I see that not all humans are that bad", Amaimon answered as he stared at Shiemi, much to Rin's jealousy.

"Hey, what's with the staring, pointy head?", Rin got envious at Amaimon.

"It's nothing. Are you jealous, my younger brother?", Amaimon slightly joked. Actually, Amaimon was attracted to Shiemi, but he decided not to let them know.

* * *

The teacher was impressed with her. Lucifer was pleased when she showed him the result. Not only that, he felt like his burdens were lifted from his shoulders. He was glad she could take everything he told her well. Not to mention, the nightmares have finally disappeared. He would definitely like to know what would happen next to both of them, now she knew everything about him. He just couldn't wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Finally the new chapter is here. As you can see, this is how I pictured of Lucifer's past. I made headcanons about him in this case based on history, demonology, and Christianity to complement our understanding with Mephisto's explanation in the manga. Come on, Lucifer is one of the most important figures in Christianity, so of course the relation between him and this religion is inseparable. I have to be honest, I am a Christian myself but when I wrote this chapter I guess I had some sympathy for Lucifer hahaha!
> 
> By the way, I'm sure you saw one of my beta reader's name here has disappeared, Reasons_Why_Im_Crazy. We had some arguments two weeks ago regarding our differences and problems in our friendship, so she won't be with us any longer.
> 
> I hope this chapter is suitable to your liking. I really must say, I'm totally enjoying myself when I wrote this chapter. It has been fun! I did so many research for him in order to figure out his picture. If you want to know about my headcanons on this story, just follow my Tumblr https://www.tumblr.com/blog/thegreatmagiciangal!
> 
> That's all from me for today. Don't forget to give kudos and comment!


	15. Chapter 15

It was a busy day at the mansion. Many people were running around when the sound of coughing was heard from the bedroom of the King of Light.

"Someone, help me!", Lucifer shouted.

The doctors and healer demons immediately stormed his room to give him treatments. The King of Light may have started to heal, but that didn't mean they were safe from critical situations. It was always better to be well-prepared.

"Damn, again? I thought his condition improved since Shizuka came for a visit", Iblis complained.

"Hush, Iblis! That's inappropriate. Lucifer does improved, but he can still be critical at times. That's why we have to stand by, so we can do something in case it happens", Azazel reprimanded her.

"And there comes the lady", Mephisto told them about Shizuka's arrival.

Shizuka stood on the front door when she was first arrived, and surprised with the sudden change of situation. She didn't think that the King of Light would be back in pain. "Hey, it must be Lucifer again, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but don't worry. The doctors are doing their duties at the moment", Mephisto tried to calm her down.

"Please let me get inside! I have to see him!"

"For now, there's nothing you can do! Let's wait here until the doctors are done tending his condition", Beelzebub pulled her into his embrace. She was worried for Lucifer while she was wrapped in his arms.

It took the doctors and healers some time to help Lucifer calmed down from his coughing fit, but finally his deterioration symptoms had stopped; at least for now.

Shizuka saw the Demon Kings talking with them. She wasn't quite sure about what they were talking about, but it seemed that it was related with the King of Light's health.

"How is he?", she questioned in worry.

"So far, he has calmed down. His condition is still the same. Right now, Lucifer is sedated, so he's asleep", Egyn explained curtly. "Would you like to see him?"

Then she came inside of Lucifer's room, with Astaroth and his siblings stood near the door. Lucifer wore his breathing mask as he was asleep. His whitish skin was pale. From the sound of the heart beat detector, he was quite stable. She held his hand as she took her seat near his bed. Her heart was breaking with his condition. She was unable to thought of anything but possible ways to help him. His hand was cold when she put it closer to her cheeks. She drifted to sleep unknowingly while she waited for Lucifer to awake.

* * *

_"Hello. Who are you? I have never seen you around before."_

_"Who is she talking to, mom?"_

_"Don't get too close to her, dear. She's crazy."_

* * *

_"Hi there. Do you want to play?"_

_"Shizuka, who are you talking with, honey?"_

_"There's an odd looking creature right here in my room. Can you see?"_

_"Okay. I believe you, honey. I can see it."_

_"What creature is it, mom?"_

_"That's a green man, one of the beings people are used to call as demons."_

_"I thought demons are scary."_

_"Not all of them are. Some of them are working well with humans. Some of them even acquired human-like appearances. Usually, those which looks like humans are very powerful, and their leaders are called as the Demon Kings."_

_"Really, mom? I wanna know more! I heard that people like me have talents to become an exorcist."_

_"They are. But becoming an exorcist need years of training. But, I can see that you have the talent."_

_"So many people called me crazy. What do you think?"_

_"No, you're not crazy. You have a gift, a talent of sight! But sometimes people are afraid of those like you. Sometimes they are afraid of things they don't understand. You are special, Shizuka. Whatever happens to you in the future, don't forget that you have something that will enable you to help people. Always be kind to others. Put this in your mind, your father and I will always love you."_

* * *

"Go away, you freak! We don't need you here!"

_No, please! I just want to be friends!_

"Look, she's talking to herself again. A witch."

"A crazy kid, from a crazy family. What a loser!"

_Stop calling me that! I'm not a freak!_

* * *

Lucifer was awakened when he felt someone hold his hand. He realized that Shizuka was asleep and mumbled. He unmasked himself of his breathing mask and caressed her cheeks gently as to take a look at her. It had been a couple times to saw her asleep beside him. She was so beautiful, even in her sleep, and he loved the peaceful look on her face every time she closed her eyes. Every time he looked at her, he forgot about his pain.

Shizuka yawned when he looked at her. She finally saw him smiled gently.

"Hello, Shizuka. Do you have a good sleep?"

"Lucifer! You finally awake!", she exclaimed. He chuckled when she hugged him tenderly. She knew how delicate his condition was, and she didn't want to risk on hurting him.

"I see that you are asleep beside me. You must be waiting for me to awake. I apologize for making you worry."

"I heard that you were in pain again, and just as I arrived here to see you. Lucifer, what's wrong with you earlier?"

"Something was wrong with my throat. I felt like it's irritated, and the wound was going to tear itself again. That's why I don't feel comfortable. I'm sorry that you saw me like this", he closed his eyes remembered the incident. Shizuka ran her hand over his messy hair, and she nodded. He saw her taking something from her satchel. It was a container filled with liquids. "What is this?"

"This is a potion I made for you. I know that this might not going to help much for slowing down the deterioration, but I hope this will eased your pain. Don't worry, it's made of herbs safe enough for demons."

"Thank you", he thanked her. He wanted to ask her something. It was related with her mumbling during her sleep, but he was afraid to hurt her feelings. "Shizuka, I heard that you were mumbling while you fell asleep. You must have an unpleasant dream."

"Yeah. I have this since you mentioned that you have nightmares. I think it's odd that I have it too. Sorry if you heard me talking when I was asleep."

Lucifer laughed softly. "Then we are related with each other closer than we thought. Do you want to talk about it?"

Shizuka suddenly became silent. She was having some doubts in mind. Actually, there was nothing much pleasant to tell about her dream. Hearing his question made her hesitated, but he had been honest to tell her about his past. Perhaps it would be fair enough if she did the same.

Lucifer became apprehensive. "Shizuka, are you okay? I'm sorry if my question bothered you."

"It's okay. You don't have to apologize. Actually, I dreamed of my childhood, before we met."

Lucifer nodded. "Ah."

"I guess it might be fair if I told you about it, since you have told me about yours", Shizuka told him. "I know I told you that I have been able to see beings like you since I was a little. Well, at first, when I was about 2 years old, I saw spirits and started talking to them. I didn't know at the time that they are invisible to human naked eye. Hecate-sama herself have been watching over me since I was born, due to the contract made between her and my parents to keep me alive. She's like a second mother to me. Hecate... she was such a benevolent goddess. I can feel the love she has for me. She had becoming my guide for such a long time."

"I realized my sight was different than ordinary people when they thought that I was talking to myself, while I was talking to the spirits. I have to admit, I'm kind of estranged from other children, because of my family. Since then, they started taunting me. They called me a freak! An inhuman child! Is it wrong if I'm different? I just want to have friends."

Lucifer hugged her when she told her story further, "I questioned my parents if they can see them the same way I had. Apparently, I'm not alone. Almost everyone in my family can see them. Besides, we came from a long bloodline of priests and priestesses who are serving the deities of the old worlds since we first live in Greece and during our occasional travels to many places, even before we accepted Christianity as one of the major religions in our family. My parents told me that I'm special, and I have the talent to be an exorcist. They told me that the beings we saw were demons, and since then I became interested in your kind. Of course, other kids were still mocking me, but Reina, Tatsumi, and Tatsuya always accompanied me in secret despite being forbid by their parents. I even made friends with various demons. I remember the first demon that I befriended with was a green man, and she was so funny."

"Green men are usually friendly to humans, especially humans who love nature. What happened after that?", he laughed with her. He was glad that some of his kind were already started accompanying and befriended her even before he knew her.

"I also made friends with some other demons, like salamanders and hobgoblins. They even helped my parents and their familiars protected me from dangerous beings like ghouls. I was so afraid of those. My interest in you demons grew stronger after I knew there were other stronger demons that able to assume human form. That's where I heard about the Demon Kings. I keep on studying about you, and of course there were people thought that I won't succeed. They told me that I'm very stupid to think on being an exorcist. From my experience, I believe that peace is possible between humans and demons, since I made friends with your kin. Well, I'm glad I proved them wrong. I even met you and your siblings."

He felt warm hearing her delicate voice. "I'm pleased that you have managed to deal with your problems nicely. But, I'm still curious. What happened to Hecate afterwards? Since we met all those times, you almost never told me about her again."

Shizuka was silent, trying to find good words. "That's what confusing to me as well. I don't know why, but since we met, she appeared herself to me less often than before. I feel like she is only showing herself to me when you're not around. I don't know if she's keeping her distance from me, but I think perhaps she's not leaving me after all, since I can still sense her presence near me. Nevertheless, I feel like she's hiding, and I don't know from what, or... more like _whom_. But to be honest, I never thought in my entire life that I would meet you, Lucifer. And I guess you're right. We are related closer with each other than we thought," Shizuka looked at his handsome face. The King of Light could swear, he felt his heart beating faster due to their proximity.

"You will become a great exorcist, Shizuka Lovegood", he reassured her as he kissed the palm of her hands. "And I would be honored to work together with you."

She blushed deeply when he mouthed those words. She had lost count on thinking how many times did he praised her in such a high regard. She thought of nothing but her own feelings at the moment. Every time they were close to each other, she felt so good! But at the same time, she still thought of him as her friend. She still have to help him heal. Whatever happened to her feelings could be dealt later, as soon as Lucifer feel better. Soon, she was surprised when Lucifer hold her cheeks in his hands and put their faces closer to each other. Then, he kissed both of her cheeks.

Lucifer smiled seeing her flushed in front of him. He always felt prideful every time he succeeded in making her smile return. Of course, she wouldn't be her usual self without her beautiful smile. She needed someone to cheer her up, after all that happened to her. He did still struggle on healing himself, but he felt himself getting better when he made her happy. He couldn't assume that she started to fall in love with him, but he would try, started by returning the sweet smile on her face. Besides, he heard an interesting human saying, that love comes along with time. But, her words when Shizuka told him of Hecate's both sudden distancing from her since his arrival and the deity's occasional apparitions before her were still fresh inside his mind. _She has no idea who Hecate truly is, does she?_

He decided to think about it more thoroughly later. This was not the time to tell her anything about this, _yet_. "How about your nightmares? Are they still coming?", he asked her.

"Fortunately no. They are disappearing, the more often we spend our time together."

"I am glad to hear that", he replied while he held her hand.

Shizuka suddenly remembered something. "Oh my, I almost forgot! I have an English assignment!"

"What kind of assignment did you get?"

"Our teacher, Mrs. Aikawa asked us to find a drama. The genre is up to us, but we have to play them in front of class with our respective groups two days from now. I can't believe I forgot to find it."

He thought of the possible ways to help her. He remembered that he had vast collection of various books in his room. Perhaps this could work. "I have an idea. But first, can you help me to sit on my wheelchair?"

"Of course." She was getting excited. Shizuka always knew that Lucifer had various ways to help her. She was wondering of what did he have in store.

She helped him to get up from his bed. Then, she held his right elbow when he walked towards his wheelchair and sit down on it.

"Let me show you the way. I know the place probably contain something that can help you."

They finally went out of his room. Lucifer directed the way as she pushes the wheelchair around the mansion. They passed various rooms. She greeted Yukio that was reading his manga along the way.

"This mansion is spacious. Where are you taking us anyway?"

"It is a surprise. Be patient", he winked at her. He couldn't wait to show her the room he intended for her.

Finally, they stopped in front of a room. He used his telekinesis carefully to open the door. Shizuka was amazed by the sight inside. She couldn't believe that he had such a grand library!

"Lucifer, you have a library! I should have known you would have one! This is a paradise!", she exclaimed in admiration.

He laughed, "Actually this library belongs to Samael, but since I decided to stay here, he had agreed to give this library to me. You can find everything you need here. This is the place I wanted to show you. I know you haven't been to this room before, so consider this as your official introduction."

"Oh my God! Thank you so much, Lucifer!", she hugged him. They immediately went inside.

Lucifer saw her looking through all the books in their respective shelves. They were arranged according to years when they were published. She was fascinated.

"Oh my God, I will do everything to have these books. To Kill a Mockingbird? I can't believe that this one exist here! Bukowski, Plato, Arnold Toynbee, so many of them. Wow, you have Nietzsche!"

"You happen to read Nietzsche?", Mephisto inquired, as he and Astaroth suddenly appeared behind her.

"Oh, it's you guys. Actually, I do. I found some of his books to be interesting, despite his nihilistic views. I'm sorry for being noisy!", she was embarrassed. Sometimes her sense of curiosity overwhelmed her, especially in literatures.

"It's fine. We never thought you would come here. Lucifer must be taking you to this room, isn't it?", Astaroth questioned her.

"Yeah, I'm searching for books to help me work on my assignment. By the way Astaroth, I never thought you would be the type who like to read."

"Actually, I do. I like reading sometimes, and I read philosophy."

She was dumbfounded with Astaroth's words. "You probably have heard that Astaroth is related with rationalized philosophy and concepts, despite his brute attitude. He is actually clear minded, although it is regrettable that it doesn't appear in most cases", Mephisto explained, with a glare from the King of Rot.

"Oh, sorry I forgot about that! I'll continue looking for the books I needed. I hope you don't mind!"

"Of course. Please use this library to your heart's content. We would be glad to know that this room can be useful for you", Mephisto allowed her. He had a weird grin on his face, and Lucifer was fully aware that it was a kind of grin he usually has when he met humans with a desire for knowledge. He loved messing with curious humans. Lucifer glared at him, told both of them to get out. He didn't want her to be disturbed by his younger brothers' presences.

"I see that you are mesmerized with my collections. Sometimes my siblings come here to find references", Lucifer smiled at her.

"How long have you been collecting these books?"

"Since as far as I can remember. I am collecting books for so long, some of them are very old, but you can still read them in excellent conditions. My books are usually related with history and politics. But of course, I also collect many books with other themes. I like reading poetry."

She chuckled. Of course, he appreciated beauty, so he would read those literature. He would also be interested in world changes and things related with his mission. "What kind of book that you like, when it comes to politics?"

"I like Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince."

"I thought it's related with political power? To be honest, there are some things that I disagree with when it comes to preserve our positions. I don't like the idea if we have to do so by using any efforts and means necessary."

"Indeed, but what would you do if you must act as a leader? Of course, you would do anything for the best of your country. If you still want to rule a nation, you would have to use a good sense of efficiency and priority. Morality is important, but sometimes we must use any resources available to preserve stability of power and safety of the country. The existence of a country also relies on independent military resources of their own. Sometimes violence and the using of force are needed to sustain power and spread our influence to every aspect of the citizen lives with the already available regulations and institutions."

"I still don't like the sound of it. I would rather work with reliable people to sustain stability in leaderships. I would also consider every decision for the good of the citizens."

"Democracy can be a good option for most occasions, but I believe these methods are needed to be taken when it comes to chaotic situations inside the society. Such an idealistic way of thinking cannot be used in every circumstances. After the stability is obtained, then order can endure."

"But don't you think that it sounded so ambitious and egotistical? People would be disagreed with such methods", she argued with him.

"Even the most kindhearted ruler would do whatever it takes to preserve his position. Manipulation and propaganda would be use to convince their people and gain their trust even by means of patriotism."

"Lucifer, that's dictatorship! Don't tell me that this is your way to rule in Gehenna", she shouted at him. He only gazed at her without any expression or emotions and shrugged.

"Nevertheless, I still want to see people, both humans and demons living in peace equally. I'm still going to stand my points on those. I see you humans are pampered and ignorant, while we who are living in Gehenna are suffering from exile and starved. Such conditions are irrational and unjust. I'm sure you are agree with me."

She sighed. Of course, he would. Considering what happened to him in the past, he would develop such a cynical view. She decided to change the subject. Politics were too complicated to her, and some of the people were using dirty tricks. Also, from his words, he sounded not only like a dictator, but also a communist. He might be more generous compared to most of his own kind, but he would still retain his demonic natures, both stubborn and sometimes ruthless. "Then, what do you like when it comes to plays?"

"I read so many dramas, it's going to be hard for me to mention one of my favorites. Nevertheless, I appreciate the writings of you humans. Everyone has their own ways to express their admiration for beauty and wonders", he explained. "I have tried making some poems, but I cannot say that mine is good."

"I'm sure it will be good. Besides, you are the keeper of knowledge."

"You are flattering me. I appreciate it", he felt prideful of her praising. "If I may know, what is your favorite genre in dramas?"

"Just like most books I read. You know, romance", she answered. She was abashed by her choice of readings.

Lucifer laughed softly at her expression. "You don't have to be embarrassed with your answers. I can understand. So, do you plan to find a romantic drama for your assignment?"

"Yeah. Do you have any recommendations?"

"I do have", he responded. This could be a chance for him to started showing her his feelings. "I'm sure you are familiar with William Shakespeare. He wrote so many sonnets, poetry and dramas."

"Oh yeah! He's my favorite writer. I love reading Romeo and Juliette. I think it's very romantic. I have even watched the movies."

"Ah, understandable. But I think it's saddening to know what happened to the lovers in the end. It's tragic."

"Yeah, it was unfortunate for both of them. They fell in love, but their families got in their ways. I hope I wouldn't suffer the same fate if I fall in love with someone."

 _I would definitely hope the same, my maiden_ , he thought inside his head. "I have read some of his works. I have read Macbeth, and I think it's good. But, since you are looking for a romantic drama, I would recommend Othello."

"Is it good?"

"I just thought that you might like it. It's here", he pointed to one of the racks stored the literature. But just as one of them were going to take the book from its shelf, Lucifer and Shizuka's fingertips touched each other.

The simple touch of their hands brought a strange sensation to both of them. It felt like an electricity, spread across their bodies and left them curious. Both of them had holding each other's hands for so many times, but this sensation was different; it made them started craving for more of each other's touch.

Lucifer and Shizuka looked at each other for a long moment, they didn't realize that their hands were intertwined. Shizuka immediately gotten shy beneath his tender gaze. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know that you want to take it for me."

Deep in his heart, Lucifer was disappointed. The magic was gone between them. He wanted to savor the moment with her, but it seemed things happened otherwise. Nevertheless, he hid his feelings with his smile. "It's alright. Let me take it", he stood slightly from his wheelchair and reached the book.

Shizuka took a small wooden chair and sit beside him. She observed the book cover. It looked sophisticated and eye catching, able to lured whoever see it to open it and read what was inside. "So, that's Othello?"

"Yes. Perhaps this would be surprising to you, but so many scholars deemed Shakespeare's writings to be inappropriate."

She furrowed her eyebrows together. "Why? I think his writings are excellent."

"In England, there was a dispute in politics, social, and religion. People used to use Latin language in their everyday life. There are reasons why his works were quite disliked by critics and rudely referenced. He was literate, but he was underestimated because he wasn't a writer that has background of studying in universities. His works were written in English, which was quite complicated, since it had no codified pattern of grammar and has many variations of spellings. Not to mention, he never officially published his works, and there's an issue for copyrights. Most of his writings were taken from historical events, with some dramatization, of course. But they also came with controversies, for example witch hunting, which strikes fears back then in Middle Ages. But after his time, the standardization of English language began", he explained to her in details, which left her breathless.

"You spoke like you were there when his works were well-known."

"Of course. Like I said, Shizuka, demons like me are immortal, so I have seen many things throughout my lifetimes. Just to let you know more about my past, when I saw him, he was quite an interesting man. He had such fresh ideas about literatures, one that was rare for me to see among your kind. But, you don't have to be shy. I like his works as well, despite the negative opinions of those humans", he held her hand to reassured her. "Now let me show you the interesting part of Othello. It should be here somewhere."

She observed the way he scanned through the thick book. He knew that book like the back of his hand. He must have read it for countless times. She admired the way he looked so calm when it comes to things both of them love the most : reading. During her childhood, Lucifer had shown her various books once he realized her fascination for knowledge. What makes this activity enjoyable was when they flipped every page. They loved the smell of books, especially old ones. Being in this place, doing the same thing again reignite the nostalgic feeling.

"Do you know, one of the characters in Othello, Emilia is highly assumed by the scholars for being inspired from one of Shakespeare's lovers in real life. They believed that Shakespeare was thinking of Emilia Lanier while he wrote this drama, and it proved to be quite feminist, since the woman he inspired from is a feminist poet herself. The line for this character is proven to be the most feminist in all his dramas. You can know by reading this line", he pointed to one of the parts in the book.

"'Let husbands know their wives have sense like them: they see and smell and have their palates both for sweet and sour As husbands have.' You are right, it sounded like the words were intended for gender equality."

"That's right. And the drama took place in Venice. I think this is due to his inspiration of Lanier's father was a Venetian, so perhaps it was not a coincidence", he explained again. "Ah, this is my favorite part. Would you like me to read it for you?"

"Sure."

He took a deep breath as to prepared himself. "'If I had but an hour of love, if that be all it's given me. An hour of love; upon this earth, I would give my love to thee.'"

She was stunned by the words. This line hold so much passion. She felt warm, especially with the way Lucifer read them so lovingly, she could not help but fall for the beautiful piece. "Lucifer... I don't know what to say. This one, it's lovely."

"Actually, this drama has so many themes inside. Romance, tragedy, racism, and many more. I fell for this drama because of this part. If I had a lover, I would give her everything."

 _Lucifer, do... do you fall in love with someone right now?_ , she contemplated in doubt. She didn't know what happened, but she saw something strange in his eyes. She couldn't name what it is.

He took her hand in his, and spoke, "Shizuka, there is something I would like to tell you. Actually, I am..."

"Oh, I'm sorry! Please hold it for a moment. I need to pick up a call", she stopped him as she realized her phone was ringing.

Once again, the King of Light was disappointed. He truly wanted her to know his feelings for her. He wanted her to realize the depths of his feelings, his love for her. But maybe, this was not the right time. He would have to wait for another moment.

"I'm sorry. Reina called me to know if I had found the drama for our group. What do you want to tell me about?"

He clutched the hem of his shirt. "It's nothing. I'm fine. I promise I will tell you another time. Besides, I can see that you are busy. I also need a little rest."

"Okay then. Do you want me to take you back to your room?"

"Yes, please."

They finally went on their way back to Lucifer's bedroom. He lied in his bed and watched her preparing her things. She was going to leave.

"I hope you don't mind if I borrow this for the meantime. I promise I'll keep it in good condition, and it won't be long."

He nodded and he straightened his back. "You can borrow it for as long as you needed. I'm glad that this book can be useful for you."

She approached him and kissed his forehead. "Thank you, Lucifer. Get well soon."

Shizuka took her things and closed the door. He sighed. He noticed that his siblings came into his room.

"Hey, we saw that she had left. Is everything good between you?", Rin questioned him.

"Yeah, but I want to rest. I hope you don't mind", he replied as he turned his back away from them. He felt heavy in his chest, and there was a considerable pain in his heart. He was morose from what happened in the library.

Mephisto walked towards his bed accompanied by the twins, and they sit near him. "Hey brother, are you okay?", Mephisto asked him while he hold his shoulder.

"Actually I don't feel well. But it's nothing to worry about. I don't feel any pain at the moment."

"Then what is it?", Yukio inquired curiously.

"It's about my feelings for Shizuka. I want her to know my feelings, but it feels so hard. I was going to confess that I love her at the library, but I changed my mind. I'm afraid that I'm not good enough for her."

"Well, nothing is easy, Lucifer, including in love. Why don't you tried it earlier?", Rin became curious as well.

"I'm afraid that she would not feel the same way I have for her. Not to mention, I'm too old. Besides, I am wicked, and the situation wasn't feel right for me. Who would love an old, monstrous, and sickly demon like me?", he wondered of himself in agony. "Rin, you told me that you like one of your classmates, right? What is it feel like for you, to be in love for the first time?"

Rin stuttered with his questions. Lucifer was not a type to talking often about his feelings. Nevertheless, he wanted to help his oldest half brother. "W-well, of course there would be so many uncertainties, especially when it comes to the feelings of our crushes. But I think there's nothing wrong with trying anyway. I think Shizuka can accept you for who you really are. Besides, you have known each other for a long time. But if you don't feel sure, it's okay to wait until you're ready."

"As long as you don't wait for too long. Otherwise, she would fell for someone else. Perhaps you have heard of unrequited love", Astaroth reminded the King of Light.

"I see. Thank you, all of you", Lucifer smiled. Hearing their advice made him feel a little better. Perhaps, he would try another time, with a better way. He just hoped that he wouldn't face another obstacles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, welcome to the new chap! Now we have started to see that Lucifer began to show his feeling for our red haired girl. Hahaha, Lucifer is pretty classic when it comes to his taste of literature, not surprising indeed. By the way, the piece of Othello that I included in this story is inspired from The Lovely Bones, which is one of my favorite movies. If you haven't watch it, I will recommend you guys to try with this movies. Trust me, you won't be disappointed! I hope the explanation about Shakespeare is accurate enough, so if any one of you want to add or correcting the explanation, be welcome to comment!
> 
> I hope you aren't feel weird with Lucifer's political view. I tried to picture him to stay close to the manga, and I picture him to go between a Machiavellian and a communist. I hope that's not too much. His views will be explained further in the future, I promise!
> 
> I guess that's all for today! would like to give my thanks to @BlueExorcistJunkie for being such a great support as one of my most loyal readers! You are amazing! As always, don't forget to comment and vote!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! This is my latest update for my chapter, and welcome to the first anniversary of my fanfic! I first started writing this story a year ago, and it has been a fun journey! I'm meeting many good people who are supportive of me to continue this story, and I'm glad to have them here with me. By the way, I would like to thank my beta readers, Rachel, Sara, and Evy, also to my biggest fan Robyn for being my greatest friends (Robyn, I hope you like your early Christmas and birthday present!). I would never be able to continue if not for you guys. Well, without further a due, please enjoy this chapter to your heart's content!

Lucifer woke up in an excellent mood. He had regained most of his strength, and the doctors deemed that he was able to receive some rehabilitation, most importantly in walking. Last week he did it with the doctors, they were impressed by his fast improvement, and after some sets for a couple of days, they decided to leave his rehabilitation to his siblings. They would come only once a week to check his condition and when the King of Light needed them.

Lucifer stood up from his bed to get his clothes. His feet were still a bit shaky, but after he found a crutch to helping him, he finally managed to stand steadily. He used it to help himself walk towards the wardrobe and grabbed his coat. Just as he was about to get inside the bathroom, someone knocked.

"Who is it?", he asked.

"Lucifer-sama, it's me." It was Homare.

He relieved to know that it was his most loyal guard. He opened the door with a wave of his hand and permitted her to enter his room.

"Lucifer-sama, good morning. How is your sleep?", she inquired.

"My sleep is good. I'm glad to finally be able to get up of my bed. Right now I'm going to take a bath. I can tell that my odor is horrible, especially after staying in bed for weeks."

Homare responded with a nod as she smiles. Of course, he would not stand just lying in bed all day. He was busy, and he needed everything to recover himself, so he could get back to work, otherwise he would be bored.

"Do you need any help to get into the bathroom?"

"That's quite alright. I can do it on my own. Meanwhile, you can do anything you like to wait for me while I'm cleaning myself."

Homare take a look at her phone. She scanned through the messages while she waited for her master. Most of her messages came from her colleagues. She neglected the messages came from her family members. They kept on nagging her to join the family gathering, but she's been busy with her duties and Lucifer still needed her help.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lucifer was preparing himself for his bath. He hissed when he undressed from his cloak and felt it touched some of his wounds. He took a look at his vessel in the mirror. His condition has improved, but he got some scars and deteriorated skin on some parts that were on their way to heal. He looked pretty thin and there were black circles underneath his eyes, but at least he was better than the previous days.

He decided to turn the shower on. He reveled in the feeling of water against his skin. It felt good to be able to take a bath again. The water touching his skin made his stiff muscles relaxed. He poured a handful of shampoo on his hair and a soap over his skin.

He thought of Shizuka. Lucifer wondered of what was she doing at the moment. It had been over a week since her last visit. How was her drama in her class? Did it turn well? He surely hoped that she was doing fine with her friends.

Since she gave him her healing potions with ingredients made specially for demons and the foods made by her mother, Lucifer felt his body improving day by day. His coughing rarely came, and his internal wounds healed smoothly. He would like to thank her by the time she came on another visit. After wearing his attire, he decided to get out.

Homare saw him walking towards her. But she saw Lucifer had some difficulties getting on his way. He was about to slip.

"Lucifer-sama!", she immediately ran to help him.

He was panting as Homare caught him. It was close. If she didn't hurry, he would have fall to the floor and risked on tearing his wounds again.

Homare stunned by their closeness when the King of Light gazed at her eyes. She had been used to seeing his handsome face, but being this close to him made her heart beating faster in her chest. A slight blush shown on her face.

"Are you alright, Sir?", Homare asked his condition, trying hard not to pay any attention to her reddened face.

"I am fine. Thank you for helping me."

"Next time, if you need any help, don't hesitate to ask, Sir."

Lucifer chuckled, "I will make sure to remember it."

Homare helped him to sit on a wooden chair as she was also sitting in front of him. She checked on the condition of his vessel.

"Thank you, Homare. I'm sorry for always putting you into trouble, especially taking care of me."

She just shrugged, "Well, I'm your bodyguard. It's my duty to always taking care of my master, no matter what your condition is."

Lucifer took his cup of tea while he contemplated. Homare had been very loyal to him, even though he was being demanding sometimes. "I really need to thank you, Homare. You have been helpful since you worked for me. I know that I'm very stubborn, and I apologize for it."

"Of course. I still remember that you were so stubborn, including when you were just awaken from your coma. You put us all in worry."

Of course. He still remembered when he was finally conscious. She waited for him with her comrades relentlessly.

* * *

Not too long after Lucifer awakened, Mephisto informed his bodyguards. They quickly came to see him. Unlike most exorcists who were scared of his appearance, they didn't seem to be fazed. Instead, they were waiting and watched over him.

* * *

"I remember that after you finally awakened, you were so stubborn not to meet Shizuka. You were really keen to keep yourself away from her", Homare yarn about the experience.

Lucifer suddenly reminded of their heated exchanges that time. He still remembered her face when she lashed out for the first time, tried to reason with him. It happened a week before Shemihaza and those from the Grigori Agency visited him.

* * *

_Lucifer was awake from his slumber that afternoon as he heard footsteps of people entered his room._

_"_ Hello Lucifer-sama, how is your condition? _", Homare greeted while she and her colleagues bowed before him._

 _"_ Like you see, I'm still lying in bed. My body is in pain as usual. I can't do much at the moment. _"_

_Homare exchanged glances with his comrades. Lund, Strom, and Saburota had the same expression of concern over their faces. It had been ten days since he awakened and his condition haven't improved one bit._

_"_ Lund, Strom, Saburota-san, can you leave us alone? I need some time with him."

 _"_ Of course _", they replied her._

 _Right after they left, Homare immediately approached him. She was worried about him._ _"_ Lucifer, I heard that you have awaken since a week ago. I'm sorry for not seeing you right away."

 _"_ It's alright. Besides, the doctors haven't permitted any guests to visit me, considering how delicate my condition is. _"_

 _She held his hand while she looked at his face. "_ You must know Lucifer, the Grigori and the higher ups have discussed the incident that involved us all. They will be here in two weeks to visit you. _"_

 _"_ I see. Of course they would. I'm their best chance to keep the peace between both of our kind, so my recovery is important for the continuity of my peace mission. After all, I am the mediator between father and you humans. _"_

 _"_ True. But there's more to that. _"_

 _He was silent for a while, then questioned, "_ What is it? _"_

 _"_ The Grigori were questioning your motives. Unlike us who have known you personally, they were still curious of your reason to save Shizuka. They were still thinking that you are manipulating her, considering her pure nature. Do you... _"_

 _"_ I think you missed something. She's my precious friend. Do you really think I would let Asmodeus rape her? I think you would do the same when you see someone close to you is in danger."

"I know that, but Mephisto told us about his conclusion. It sounded crazy, even to me. He told us that you saved Shizuka since you're in love with her."

_Lucifer seemed indifferent, but actually he was nervous. It seemed that his emotions were too easy to read now. "I think I have told you that I like her only as a friend. It's just that. As her friend, of course I would do everything in my power to protect her. I promised her my protection, in return of her help in understanding humanity as one of my best sources."_

_Homare huffed. This master of theirs was so hard to put into argument with! "_ I have seen Shizuka. You would not believe her condition."

"Really? What is going on with her?", _his voice was monotonous when he questioned her._

 _"_ She was deeply traumatized. Her horrible encounter with your nephew left her scarred both mentally and emotionally. She told us that she was having nightmares about your fight when Shura and I, along with some of her friends came to her house. She's pale and thin, also constantly crying."

 _Lucifer kept his mouth shut. Homare didn't know what was inside his mind this time, but his habit of keeping his own thoughts and emotions to himself made her irritated._ "Lucifer, wouldn't you say something about this? I thought you care about her."

"I do. I have experience with some humans that affected deeply by their encounter with demons. Of course, I know about the possibilities."

"Is that all you have to say about this? Lucifer, she needs you, more than you know it!", Homare started lashing out at him as he stared at her unemotionally. She shook her head in agitation. "I have to be honest, I can't think of anything that perhaps the Arc Knights were right. You only befriended her because you need someone to help you learn further about us, and maybe the next you will use us as mere tools once your mission is accomplished. I don't know what your plans are, King of Light, but you are so egotistical to abandon her. You are her childhood best friend, and you chose to leave her?! You are unbelievable!"

"I believe you forget that I am still heavily injured from the fight. Don't you think that my transformation into my demonic form is already enough to showed my concern for her?"

"The point is what happens after the fight, Lucifer! She kept herself away from other people. She desperately needs you. She didn't blame you for what happened! She wants to see you, but instead here you are, being headstrong! Damn it, Lucifer! Could you just for this once, stop being selfish?" _, Homare pleaded him. She covered her face with both hands._

_Lucifer kept himself in his usual stoic facade. Little did she know that he was worried over Shizuka's condition. Hearing about her in depression made his guilt worsen._

_"_ You have never been like this to her before. You are not the strong Demon King I used to know. I don't want to be rude, but you look like a coward, hiding behind your guilt. At least, talk to her" _, she bowed her head, disappointed._

 _"_ I understand. I'll think about it. For now, please let me rest."

 _Homare raised her head. Finally, a respond from him. "_ Good. I hope both of you would meet once you get better. I will leave you for now. If I heard from her friends or Mephisto that you hurt her, I will fight you."

* * *

Lucifer snorted at the memories. " Of course. I remember that you threatened to fight me if I hurt Shizuka's feelings."

"My threats are still applied. I won't forgive you and reconsider my decision to work for you if you are proven to be Shizuka's friend only so you can manipulate her."

"I'm sure, even deep down you realize that I would never do that. Besides, I never take violent actions as my first choice of solving everything. But, I see how many things turned out since you worked for me years ago. You have changed."

Homare gazed at him stoically. She found it hard to admit, but he's right. "Hm. Since I realized that Shizuka hid her powers, I had come to respect her. Sometimes I think that I don't deserve to be friends with her, considering how long have I been cold to Shizuka."

"But she's very much forgiving. You are lucky. She always know how to make people change their minds, in the most unlikely of ways."

"Indeed", Homare smiled remembering her now-best friend. Shizuka maybe innocent, but her innocence also became her greatest source of strength.

Lucifer crossed his legs and folded his hands. "Nevertheless, I have to thank you. If you wasn't there to push me to change my mind, perhaps I would have lost my friendship with her."

"I'm glad to find out everything is fine between both of you. How is she?"

"Shizuka is fine. She told me that her nightmares finally gone with the more often we spent our time together. We even grow closer than ever. Last time she came here to see me, she asked for my help with her homework. It was about a week ago. She's diligent, and I'm sure she will be a great exorcist like the rest of her friends one day."

Homare observed how affectionate Lucifer was when he talked about Shizuka. He had that loving look in his eyes every time he remembered her. She saw him brushed his bangs when he stood up and put the already empty teacup on the nearby table.

She mused of Shizuka. Actually, there was another reason why she was cold towards her since she was a little. Shizuka possessed such an unusual look compared to her friends. She saw that Shizuka had a charm that she wasn't realized; at least not yet. With time, she was getting more beautiful, and seeing how things happened these couple of years, it seemed that Lucifer was attracted to her. Homare was envious. She hoped that just for this once, Lucifer would give his whole attention to her, not to some pitiful red hair gal.

 _What the hell?!_ , Homare was shocked at her own thoughts. She shouldn't have been thinking in such a negative way towards her. Shizuka had been very friendly to her despite her horrible behaviors. This wasn't a good way to pay for her kindness! She must be honest, she had grown to liked Lucifer, but it wasn't in her nature to be jealous over their closeness with each other. It was up to Lucifer when it came to someone he wanted to let himself close with, and how unfair of her to put limitations on both of them. She was disgusted at herself.

"Do you still have any plans for today, beside of visiting me?", Lucifer questioned her, snapped her out of her musings.

"Actually, there's a gathering in our mansion. I am still thinking whether on going or not. Besides, I'm still busy, especially helping you."

"You have every right to attending your family gathering. You don't have to pay your sole attention on me. Go home, Homare. Spend some time with them."

"I don't think I can do it", she replied quickly.

The King of Light raised one of his eyebrows. Not with her bad habits again. "Homare, let me ask you something. Do you still hate your family?"

"What is the meaning of your question? I don't hate them, at least not all of them."

He shook his head, "Homare, I can see it clearly, even from the tone of your voice. You still have that resentment over them. You have to let it go, otherwise, you would never find peace."

"You're one to talk. I remember that you hated your siblings, especially Mephisto. Besides, I have forgiven them. It's just that I'm busy."

"I understand that you are busy, but don't let your job be your obstacle in spending your time with your precious people", Lucifer advised her calmly. "I may hate Samael, but it was a long time ago. Since I received this mission, I decided to throw our differences aside, and now I'm relieved. I realized, also from my friendship with Shizuka, no one will be able to live a good life as long as we still keep our hatred."

Homare glanced at her phone as she continued to listen to him. Even after all this time, he still thought of Shizuka in everything he does. "You are getting similar to that red head. Maybe Iblis was right. She gives you big influence."

Lucifer smirked, "I think, maybe after being alone for so long, once you find someone finally able to understand you, they changed you into something better. Why? Are you jealous of her?"

"No way! Why do I have to be jealous of Shizuka? She's my best friend now, and I would not hate her", she quickly denied his question. "I need to go. There's something I need to attend to. I'll come back later."

His smirk widened when Homare left him alone in his room.

* * *

_

When Homare arrived in front of her family's mansion, Saburota have been waiting for her.

"Hey Homare. I thought you would not come", he said as he shook her hand.

"I have a change of mind. I think coming over here for once in a while is fine."

"You must be from Lucifer-sama's place, right? It seems that you are attracted to him. It's getting often for you to coming to his mansion", he joked.

"You better keep your mouth shut, unless you are asking for a fight. I don't think a duel in the middle of our gathering would be taken well."

Saburota laughed at her definite expression. She did like Lucifer, no matter how hard she tried to hide her feelings. "Okay, okay. I won't talk about it again. Let's get inside. Our family have been waiting."

"Alright, _father_."

* * *

Lucifer laughed when he knew from her message that Homare had arrived in front of her house. She was so easy to mess around with. But now he's wondering. Was she lied to him about her relation with Saburota? She had just called him _father_. Homare told him that Saburota was just her distant relative, but it seemed that he meant more than that to her. He would ask her about it later.

He glanced at the sight outside of his window. _Shizuka, I miss you. What are you working on right now? Please come here. I want to see you_ , he wished.

* * *

In other place, Shizuka was in her classroom with her friends. They were celebrating the birthdays of Reina, Tatsumi, and Tatsuya. It was the end of their subjects for the day.

"Happy birthday, guys!", she laughed when she hugged her childhood best friends.

"Thanks everyone. We never thought you would throw a surprise party for the three of us", Reina felt grateful to them.

"The birthdays of you triplets are worth celebrating! Of course we would!", Godain shook their hands.

"By the way, this is the end of our class for this season. Summer vacation is almost here, right?" Rin questioned.

"Yeah. I'll return to Shimane for visiting my parents and younger sister", Izumo replied.

"Aww, that means I won't be able to see Izumo-chan until the end of holiday!", Renzou complained.

"Shut up, pink head!"

"How about you, Shizuka-chan? Do you plan to go somewhere else, to Greece maybe?", Renzou inquired.

"I think I'm just staying in town for now. But if any of you need a company for traveling, just call me!", she winked at him, which makes Renzou pinched both of her cheeks.

Actually, she almost couldn't stop herself from feeling stressed out since their lesson ended. She was tired and wanted some time alone, but she reconsidered it since they were in the middle of celebration. She didn't want to ruin the party. She remembered something. "Oh my goodness! I forgot that I should visit Lucifer. It has been more than a week since I last come to see him."

Suddenly all of her friends cheered on her. She blushed.

"Oh, so Shizuka-chan is finally having a boyfriend, isn't it?", Ryuji joked.

"What do you all mean?"

"Oh come on, Shizuka! How could you be so clueless? It's clear that Lucifer likes you so much", Tatsumi elbowed her while he smirked.

"Yeah, besides the King of Light is a handsome guy, despite being a demon", Tatsuya added.

"No, no way! There's no way Lucifer would be acting that way. We are close, but he's doesn't have time for those businesses. I'm busy myself, with the lessons and all!", she countered their jokes. She couldn't deny, inside her mind she started to be confused with her own feelings for Lucifer.

"But don't you see how he looked at you, especially at the summer party that time? He always stared at you, and he treated you special, Shizuka-chan. You must realized, those are few of the signs that a guy has a crush on you", Paku explained simply.

"I don't know, Paku. I think Lucifer wouldn't like a girl like me. I'm too peculiar."

"You're right. He's not going to like you", Suzuki suddenly barged rudely into their conversation, followed by her loyal underlings.

They were uncomfortable with the arrival of the annoying girl. Rin and their gang saw that even after all this time, she didn't learn her lessons especially after being pushed away by Shizuka.

"Well, well, look who we have here. The infamous witch, and her freakish friends", Suzuki taunted them.

"I see you haven't changed after being punished by Shizuka that time. You must glad that she didn't hurt you", Izumo defended Shizuka.

"Of course, I'm glad that I wasn't bruised that time. But now I see that she's getting weirder day by day."

Amaimon clenched his hands. "Shizuka isn't weird. She might be different, but it's in a good way. At least she has manners, unlike the spoiled girl like you."

Suzuki laughed in mocking at the King of Earth. "You talk like you don't realize your own appearance. Do I have to remind you that you look peculiar yourself? Besides, I'm not surprised that demons like you would be drawn to her. Both of you are odd! I'm sure Lucifer-sama has a taste for a beautiful and rich girl such as myself, not some pathetic, too-innocent, and defenseless girl like her."

Amaimon suddenly stood in front of her and grasped her arms tightly. Soon, she moaned in pain when her arms started bleeding.

"Amaimon, stop! This is not a good way to remind her about her misjudges", Shizuka shouted at him.

"No, Shizuka! Let me handle this. I had enough with this girl", Amaimon ignored her. "I think I must clear things here. There's no way our oldest brother would fall for you. In Gehenna, as the most influential demon, big brother Lucifer is very uninterested in spoiled and possessive women, no matter how beautiful they are. He didn't want to let himself close with women, so they could use him. He is looking for a woman who has manners and truly honest. I think, compared to you, he would rather choose a girl like Shizuka."

Suzuki only snorted at Amaimon, underestimated his words. The King of Earth growled and tightened his grip on her, as he scratched her wounded arm by dug his claws deeper into her skin.

Shizuka was confused. What was the meaning of Amaimon's words? "I think it's enough, Amaimon. Let her go. This is not my way to sort out problems. Besides, I don't want to waste my time here debating over nothing. I'm sure we all have important businesses of our own after school."

Amaimon stared at her for a moment until he released Suzuki. "I just want to remind you, Shizuka-chan, there's nothing wrong with standing up for yourself once in a while. All of us don't want to see you being terrorized again by your nightmares."

"I can promise you, Amaimon, those nightmares have disappeared."

"Are you sure about that?", Amaimon questioned again for making sure. She nodded.

Suzuki watched her left the classroom. "Yeah, go home, you freak! This is the reason why you are unfit to be an exorcist. You are too weak!"

"I'm not weak. I just chose to do things in peaceful ways first, rather than using violence. Besides, you know nothing about me and what I have been through", Shizuka spoke to her. Suzuki fell to her knees in fright by the time Suzuki glanced to her in a way that somehow made her look unexpectedly spooky. Her friends looked at the other in worry. "By the way, I hope you don't mind if I bring these cake pieces with me."

* * *

Shizuka walked out on her way home. When she arrived, her parents were having their lunch.

"Hello dear. How is school?", Simon asked his daughter.

"My day went fine, except for some bothersome queen bee in our class. But I can manage myself fine, dad."

"Do you have any plans after this, Shizuka-chan?", Keiko inquired as she offered her a plate filled with their menu for the afternoon.

"I think I will visit Lucifer after this. It has been a while since I see him and I want to know how is he doing."

She washed the dishes and changed her outfit before she went out to Lucifer's mansion again. But before she left, her parents stopped her.

"What is the matter, mom?"

"Shizuka, we saw you looked different this whole week. We heard you were talking in your sleep again last night. You don't have any problems at school, right?", Keiko inquired their daughter.

"I'm fine, mom. Don't worry about me", Shizuka wore her cheerful smile.

Both of her parents stared at each other. Keiko and Simon could see that something was wrong with her, but they couldn't know for sure. They decided to see what would happen next. "We just want to remind you, we are here to help if you need us."

She walked to the mansion. As she arrived, she was welcomed by Belial who ushered her to Lucifer's chamber. She was surprised to see Lucifer walked to her way when he saw her stood in front of the door of his room. He seemed to be limp without his crutch, but he's fine.

"Lucifer, you are able to move!", she looked at him in amazement.

He laughed. "Yes. Since last week, most of my strength has returned, so I'm going quite well, although I'm still unable to walk in a further distance. Even one of my legs still feel shaky if I don't using my crutch."

"But Lucifer, this is a great improvement! I should have known. You have been bedridden for two months straight. This is a miracle!", she hugged him, which Lucifer returned with pleasure. "By the way, I'm sorry that I'm not coming here last week. I was so busy."

"I can understand. I'm sure you must have interesting stuffs happened while you're at school."

"Yeah. Earlier, we were just arranged a surprise birthday party for the triplets. I have the video shared by our classmates", she told him while she showed him the video in her phone.

He laughed watching the video being played. She was definitely have a good time. He saw they were having the party in classroom. They were celebrating the birthdays with their teacher.

"You are doing good I see. How is your drama class turned out?"

"We went pretty good. Our teacher were surprised when we planned to play the drama, considering the theme, but she approved nevertheless."

Brief moment of silence lasted between both of them. Lucifer could see that she was about to say something, but she was too scared. She's fidgeting, and her body was shaking. "Shizuka, what is it? Are you alright?"

She took a deep breath. "Actually, not all the things I experienced last week was good. I hope you don't mind if I'm being honest. I'm having my nightmares again, and I came here looking for a friend to talk to."

He was unable to think of anything. All he knew, right that moment he embraced her as he saw her in the brink of tears. "Shizuka, how... how did it happened? I'm very sorry it happened to you again. I thought you told me that it had disappeared."

"I thought so too. I was fine this whole month, and suddenly a bully in my class brought the subject about us that time and taunted me again."

Lucifer's face turned grim. "Who did this to you, Shizuka? Just be honest. I can help you."

She saw him wiped the tears from her eyes, and continued, "I'm sure you remember the girl whom I pushed away when she was about to slap me during our mission in Mexico. Her name is Suzuki Ayakashi, and she's famous in our class, including in cram school. She had always known for being hateful to many people, including me. She despised me since we first met, and she has always taunted me for being a witch. Not to mention, she's jealous of seeing how close we are with each other. When she heard of you being wounded from your fight against Asmodeus, she blamed me for being the cause while she didn't know that I was one of the victims. She's deeply admiring you since she saw you that time visiting us, and she's obsessed to be your lover. When she saw me returned to school two weeks after the incident, her mocking continued. I have tried to ignore her and stick close to my friends, but she didn't stop bothering me. I'm tired of being depressed again and being terrorized by my nightmares."

He consoled the girl he had come to love, and it hurt his heart to see her in distress. "Shizuka, how if I come to see you once in a while? If I saw her, I'll demand her to stay away from you. That way, she doesn't have to bother you again. You can also report this to Samael, so he can help you. You have every right to defend yourself."

"But you are still rehabilitating yourself, and I don't want to put you in another mess. Is it okay?"

"Shizuka, no matter how terrible my condition is, I will always be there to help you. You are precious to me, and it would be a beautiful sight to see you being happy. You deserve it, after everything you have been through. Would you let me help you?", Lucifer asked her gently.

She recognized the similarity of his words of when she met him after he was awakened. Her heart beaten faster hearing his promise. His voice was calming and tender. She saw his eyes, and what she found in them was startling. They hold so much compassion. She realized that she found serenity just by sitting close to him.

He held her cheeks in his hands and put it closer to his face. "Shizuka, you don't have to face this on your own. Just like when you made your promise, I would also be always by your side. I will do everything in my power to help you. All you need to do is ask, and I will come. A young girl like you is so gorgeous when you smile. Can I see them now?"

She immediately laughed and hugged him tighter than before. She placed her head on her shoulder. "Thanks, Lucifer. I knew I can always count on you."

"It's nothing really. Now that's the smile I like", he pinched her nose playfully. "What if we do something fun? It's your choice."

"I hope you don't mind if we watch a movie. I'm pretty bored", she turned the TV on. "By the way, have you ever watching TV?"

"Usually I don't watch TV often. I don't trust most of the things I see there. Too many gossips and negativity exposed explicitly to the public. I only watch the news to keep myself updated, so I can understand the needs of humans I related with during my missions."

"I see. Then what about movies? Have you watched one of them, at least once?"

"Nope."

She was shocked to hear his reply. What the hell was wrong with him?! "I can't believe it. You have never watched a movie?"

He shook his head. "They're may be interesting to my siblings, but I don't watch any of them. I just don't find any of them intriguing. I would rather watch opera performances."

She facepalmed. "Then how do you have fun? I think I have to agree with Mephisto for this once. You are so old-fashioned!"

"And I'm not surprised at how people say about me", he muttered carelessly.

He observed her looking through the channels. After a while, she found a movie interesting enough for both of them.

"Hey, how about this one? Would you watch it with me?"

"Sure. I think there's nothing wrong with it."

The movie they were watching was a horror-romance. The character was involved in a relationship with the antagonistic vampire. Shizuka screamed in fear when she watched the suspense where the main girl character faced many ghosts, while Lucifer seemed to be indifferent. He thought that the movie wasn't scary at all, but rather quite funny. It was interesting knowing she was so open to his kind, while at the same time she was frightened of horror movies and stories. What caught him off guard, was when she held on to him so tightly during the scene.

He realized that Shizuka blushed during the next movie scene. He didn't understand what happened. "Shizuka, what's wrong? Your face is so red."

"Well, you see the scene", she pointed at him.

He raised one of his eyebrows as he spared another look at the TV. "It's just a kissing scene between a couple. What's wrong with it?"

"I-I don't watch this kind of movies often. It's not that I don't like the movie, but my parents are quite conservative when it comes to entertainment. I am not allowed to watch a movie if it contains some... suggestive contents,  including kissing scenes."

Lucifer was dumbfounded until he realized the meaning of her explanations. No wonder she was so innocent. "Ah, I understand."

"By the way, you look indifferent. Have you already used with this or... have done this before?", she questioned in embarrassment.

He answered calmly, tried to not look affected by the meaning behind the question, "This might surprise you, but actually I have never experienced being kissed, let alone kiss a girl. I have seen this sight everywhere I go, but I am truly wondering why would you humans do this with your lovers. Not to mention, I am wondering how is it feels like."

Shizuka suddenly choked from the soda she drank and coughed. She stared at him in shock. This must be a lame joke. He was so handsome, he could get any girl he wanted! "You are kidding me."

"No, it's the truth. I take it that you have never been kissed before either?"

"Being kissed on which part, Lucifer? If being kissed on the cheek or forehead, that's already common for me."

"I mean... well, being kissed on the lips."

This time she spurted out her drink. "W-what??? What is the meaning behind that question?!"

Lucifer remained stoic, but deep down he felt guilty for questioning the girl. There goes her face blushing red while sitting next to him. "What's wrong with just a little question? I know we are close friends, but that doesn't mean I know everything about you when we are not meeting each other. You could have keeping secrets from me."

"It's not what I meant, Lucifer! You questioned it out of the blue. Anyone who hears that would be shocked like me. And I don't like your distrustful nature. Please, can we change the subject?"

Now Lucifer noticed that she was getting uncomfortable. "I'm sorry. I am just curious. Like I said, I just want to know. Whether you want to answer it or not, it's entirely your choice."

Shizuka was surprised. Lucifer... he had never looked so dejected before. This must meant a lot for him, but for what? "Okay, I'll answer it. Well, you have never heard me having boyfriends before, so I think you know the answer." She immediately seen his face brighten a bit. "So you _really_ have never done something like this before?"

"No. That's why I'm truly wondering of you humans. Even, I have never experienced what it feels like to be in love." _At least, until I met you_ , he wanted to said the words, but never had the courage.

Shizuka felt a pang of guilt in her heart. He had never been _in love_? No wonder he asked so many questions. He must be lonely in his past. Lucifer have always known for being strong, but somehow those words made him sounded so fragile. She stared at him deeply in wonder.

"All my life, I only received hate and rejection. I only know grudge and vengeance. Love is a feeling that is almost completely unknown to me. We demons know about it, but only few of us experienced it. Every one of us who feel this are deems as weak."

She pitied him, and what surprised her, she even wanted to help him learn to know the feeling of being in love. "Lucifer, to love and being loved is one of our basic needs. I have never experienced it myself, but I'm open to every possibility on who would I fall with. It's not a weakness. It's what makes us human. One thing you must know, actually we can be strong when we are striving to protect the one we love."

 _I see. That explains my feelings for her_ , he contemplated. He wanted to say something, but quickly closed his mouth shut.

They stared at each other for a long moment. They were getting closer while the movie was running. They didn't pay attention to it anymore, but rather attracted to either of their presences. There was a sort of strange sensation pulled them together and it's stronger than before. But Shizuka realized that her phone was ringing before he managed to cupped her left cheek in his hand.

"What is it?", Lucifer questioned when she checked her phone.

"It's my parents. They asked me to get home immediately, since we will have dinner with our relatives that are coming here for vacation."

"Alright."

Lucifer watched her prepare herself to walk home. Before she left, he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Lucifer, what...", she questioned him, but he turned her towards him and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"Be careful. Don't forget, I will come to visit you every so often."

"But I'm sure the Order will put you into work after hearing that your health have improved."

"Indeed, but that wouldn't stop me from keeping you safe by my side."

After she left, Lucifer huffed. He was tired. "Damn, I'm a such a coward. I failed again."

* * *

That evening, after the dinner and her visiting relatives returned to their hotel, she sat by the window and had a moonlight bath. She had always done this since she was a little, and it helped her release her stress.

She was unable to think of anything but Lucifer at the time. She was contemplating of how gentle and loving he was every time they were close with each other. The feeling of his warmth when he hugged her made her feel comfortable and calm.

"Shizuka-chan, what are you thinking right now?", Keiko looked at her.

"It's about Lucifer, mom. I can't stop thinking about him every day. Since I visited him when his condition improved two weeks ago I feel like he wanted to say that something, but he didn't dare to say it loud. At the same time, I feel so calm at how attentive he is to me."

"From the sound of it, I can sense that you are in love with him. Do you like him, Shizuka?"

"I'm not certain with my feelings. My friends told me that I'm look different when I was talking about him. He had done many things for me. Recently, I had my nightmares again, but oddly enough I feel at peace just by sitting close and spend my time with him. Mom, what do you think? All this sounds confusing to me."

"You have that same face when I met your father. I can't stop thinking about him too. Shizuka, if you feel comfortable with him, and you feel enough with what he offered you, that means you are in love. I'm fine if you are falling for him. It's clear that he is able to taking care of my daughter."

"All I want is a company, and I enjoyed every second of it when we are close to each other. I feel cherished", she finally confessed to her mother. _So I'm in love? I never thought it would feel this peaceful. And I fall for a demon_ , Shizuka mused.

"Thank you mom. I feel better now."

Keiko kissed her forehead before Shizuka lied in her bed. She was surprised by her newfound feelings, but she was happy knowing that the King of Light was her first. Now she started wondering, with one question in her mind: did he feel the same for her?


	17. Chapter 17

Since she's aware that she had feelings for Lucifer, Shizuka started to be more aware of her appearance. She wanted Lucifer to be pleased to see her every time she visited him. A few days after she saw him, he had been able to walk on his own without any of their help. She was not surprised. Demons were able to regenerate themselves faster than humans. Not to mention, with Lucifer was always in a good mood whenever she's around, he was almost healed completely.

She may have holiday from her regular classes, but her study in cram school was still going. She and her friends were grateful that Mephisto and the exorcist teachers were still giving them some time with their families despite their missions.

She entered her class. So many of her friends were in awe of her looks, including the twins and Amaimon. She didn't use any makeup, but just made a little styling over her hair. Her wavy hair tied in a fishtail braid.

"Shizuka, you look different this morning. You look prettier", Shiemi complimented.

"Really? Well, I'm just doing a little make over", she blushed.

The boys nodded earnestly. "Yeah, you look beautiful. We like it", Renzou added.

"If big brother Lucifer saw you right now, he would be blushing. Besides, he had always like seeing you, and even more when you look like this", Amaimon commented while snickered.

But not all of them agreed. Suzuki scoffed at her. "No matter how hard you tried to be fashionable, you would only look ugly."

"That's because you're jealous. I think she's more beautiful than you", Izumo stood for Shizuka.

Before Suzuki could continue her ranting, Yukio interfered. "Alright everyone. Let's stop the fight. We still have some lessons to learn for today. Open your books on page 109 and one of you, please read about Mandrake and its uses for healing."

* * *

After their subject ended, Yukio and the rest of them suddenly surprised by the loud footsteps of people running around the corridors of the building. They wondered of what happened.

"Hey, what's going on? And why do you still at school? This is holiday. Only students of cram school are staying here", Amaimon questioned Godain.

"You are not going to believe what happened. Someone important is coming to the academy!"

He was shaken by the presence of someone with enormous power was nearby. It could be anyone and Amaimon wanted to make sure. "Can you tell us who is it?"

"It's Lucifer-sama! He's coming here! So many people are gathering around to see him and reporters are nearby! The school yard is full of crowds!"

* * *

Mephisto stood with his older brother near the entrance to the academy. "How surprising to see you coming here, brother."

"I am looking for Shizuka, Samael. I'm sure she must be in her classroom, correct?"

"Actually, this is recess time in the cram school. It's highly possible that she's having lunch with her friends."

The King of Light gazed his eyes at the crowd. So many women screamed in excitement looking at him.

"It's him! So handsome!"

"He's staring at me. Can you believe it? Kyaa!"

"And now you see here, Lucifer, the King of Light is on True Cross Academy. His reasons for coming here are still unknown, but from one of our trusted source, we believe that he's looking for someone."

* * *

"I'm sure he's looking for me! I'm coming, my dear Lucifer-sama!", Suzuki ran out to the school main yard, with the shook of their heads.

"That girl is full of shit. How shameless. Come on guys, let's see what happen there", Amaimon asked them to join him and the twins. _I should have known that it's you, Lucifer_.

Shizuka was nervous. What would happen when he saw her, especially in the middle of all those people?

* * *

When they were in the school yard, they saw how eager Suzuki approached the King of Light. Rin could see that behind his emotionless demeanor, Lucifer was irritated with her attitude.

"Unbelievable. Something is clearly wrong with her. She's so obsessed with Lucifer", Ryuji talked about Suzuki in disgust.

"We couldn't agree more", Takara added.

Yukio glanced at Shizuka, and what surprised him was knowing that she was brooded at Suzuki. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Don't you see the way she talked with him? She has no idea that Lucifer is different compared to most men. I'm sure you get what I mean."

* * *

Meanwhile, Lucifer tried his best to keep himself far away from those eager women and loud reporters, especially from this one particular student. She didn't have some sense of politeness. She had that flirty tone in her voice. Her uniform buttons opened reaching her chest. _How troublesome! This is why I don't get out of the mansion often if not under important businesses. This girl annoys me and so do these humans_ , Lucifer thought in his anger.

"Lucifer-sama, where are you going? Please slow down", Suzuki pleaded him.

"I'm looking for someone at the moment. Please excuse me."

"Lucifer-sama, wait!"

* * *

Shizuka's eyebrows twitched. Maybe it would be a good moment to help him. Besides, she could see that Lucifer was uncomfortable, and she could not let him surrounded by too many people any longer. "Guys, would you mind? I have to go for a while. Don't worry, I won't be long."

Amaimon and their friends were astounded by her change of attitude. It wasn't in her to go into the crowd.

"Hey, is it just me or Shizuka looked jealous?", Konekomaru asked them incredulously.

"Perhaps you're right", Amaimon replied. _Big brother Samael would be interested if I told him about this_ , he mused.

* * *

Shizuka walked in a hurry to find him. There he was. He seemed to glanced his eyes at every direction, looking for something, or rather someone. Just like what Godain told them.

"Lucifer!"

Hearing a familiar voice, he knew that he had found her. He was happy to see her stood in front of him, looked more beautiful every time they meet each other. "Shizuka", he greeted the girl and kissed her hand.

"You came."

"Of course. I told you I always keep my promises."

* * *

Behind him, the crowd started whispering about both of them. Surely none of them expected him to looking for a red hair girl.

The reporters started talking and explained the event. "How unexpected, everyone! It seems that the one he met at the moment is one of the students of the academy! Looks like our most eligible bachelor has been seeing someone in secret. But we are still wondering why would he be interested in a girl of such a young age. So far, we haven't known anything about her identity, but we'll let you know."

* * *

So many women groaned in disappointment knowing that he only pay attention to Shizuka, while Suzuki grew both furious and envious of her closeness with the King of Light.

"You must be coming here to talk", Shizuka assumed about his sudden arrival.

"Yes. But meanwhile, I hope you don't mind if we talk in somewhere... less crowded."

She giggled. She was always amazed by his ability to read her mind and wishes. Both of them entered the cram school with him holding her hand.

* * *

Along the way, they met so many exorcists paid their respect to him. He met Saburota.

"Todo-kun, it's good to see you looking well."

"Lucifer-sama, it's good to meet you! What a pleasant surprise."

"My apologies for coming without any announcement beforehand. I have a business with one of your students as you can see here."

Saburota glanced his eyes at Shizuka. She could only smiled awkwardly to her teacher. "I understand, considering your close relation with each other."

"If I may know, Todo-kun, how is she doing in her academic studies?"

"She's one of the brilliant students in cram school. She is deeply knowledgeable, and although she is lacking in stamina when it comes to physical strength, I see that she has improved compared to her first day."

"I'm glad to hear it. Then how about her peers?"

Shizuka became worried. "Lucifer, you don't have to ask him about it."

"I need to, Shizuka. I know that you are honest with me, but I need a second opinion, especially from one of the adults, like your teachers", Lucifer ignored her for once.

"Mostly her friends are good to her, except some popular ones who are jealous. But you don't have to worry too much. We are doing our best to keep her comfortable in her circumstances. Good thing is, she stays close with her best friends, particularly your younger siblings. Yukio Okumura-kun also does the same."

He nodded. He was pleased that most of her friends were being kind to her. But he still got something to talk to with Shizuka. "I see. Thank you, Todo-kun. You may continue your duties. Don't let me stop you."

"Of course, Lucifer-sama!"

Saburota watched them continued their walk along the corridors. He saw how close he hold her onto him. He shook his head at Lucifer's attitude. He clearly fell head over heels for her. "Homare, you have no idea, but Lucifer-sama loves this girl. You have a one tough competitor for his affection, and to think that she's your best friend, it's surely going to be hard from now on. I can only hope the best for you."

* * *

Shizuka guided him to sit on one of the benches. "I can't believe that you will come here. It seems that you are always attracted people to follow you wherever you go. I heard that the press referred you as 'the most handsome eligible bachelor'. It sounds interesting to me."

"Actually I don't like people thinking of me that way. You have no idea that things are much worse in Europe and America. The paparazzi are always hiding in every direction, and once they found people like me, they would do anything to get something to be written in their headline news, both on TV and newspapers. Sometimes they are getting on my nerves, since I see them usually writing negative news about almost every famous people. That's why I try my best not to get their attention, but I guess things are always not going according to my plan."

She giggled. "Then what makes you coming here? You said that you wanted to chat, right?"

"Indeed. But first, how are things going on for you at school?"

"We are just being taught by Yukio as usual. Right now we are having a break before the next class. Suzuki is still trying to annoy me, but Izumo defended me. I'm glad that Yukio managed to stop her ramblings, otherwise our heads might explode."

Lucifer nodded. He wanted to do something to help her, but something occupied his mind. "When I got here, I met a girl who bothering me so much. She was trying too hard to get my attention. She dressed in a somewhat inappropriate manner as a student."

"Really? Who could it be? Is she..."

Before Shizuka could ask her, Suzuki ran in her direction. She looked furious. "Hey, freak! What are you doing with Lucifer-sama?!"

"What are you talking about? He's my best friend! I thought I'm the one who should asked you that when you approached him earlier."

* * *

Lucifer was surprised, and interested to see the way she behaved. He had never seen her hostile reaction when it comes to him in front of other girls. But he decided to observed further before he made a move.

"You lied! You must be doing something. You bewitched him!"

_"Shizuka, is this her, the girl you told me before?"_

She was surprised when she heard a voice inside her head, but soon she understood that Lucifer was talking to her by telepathy. _"Yeah, this is her. Now you know how annoying she is_."

"Lucifer-sama, did she do something to you? Let me help you", Suzuki tried to hold his arm, but he pulled it away from her.

The King of Light stood in front of her. "I don't need any of your help. Actually, I'm coming here to make sure of my dear best friend's condition. I heard that she experienced some mocking, and it happened to come from you. Ayakashi-kun, am I right?"

Suzuki trembled hearing the cold tone of his voice. "T-that's not true. I have always been good to her."

This girl angered him like she wouldn't believe. He would not let her do as she wanted to his _beloved_ girl. "You are insensitive, cruel, arrogant, and a liar! I don't like the way you treated my dear friend and I do not wish to see this in the future. If I noticed that you taunted her again, you will have to face me. Do you understand?"

She immediately ran away before he blew up. She had heard how frightening Lucifer was when he lost his temper. She also didn't accept the fact that he chose Shizuka over her.

He wanted to laugh so hard seeing the girl fled, and Shizuka knew why.

"Somehow this reminds me of when you saved me that time when I was a little. I can't believe you would say that."

"Actually, I was just bluffing. But I think just by doing this alone, she won't do anything to you, unless she's a fool. You're right. She's so obsessed with me, and I can imagine that she is a possessive one, a type of woman I would _never like_."

"You really are a life saver", Shizuka shook her head in astonishment. "How is your day?"

"Well, those exorcists from the Vatican came to visit me. They were wondering when could I return to work. I told them simply that I will get back to my duties soon, but I couldn't make any promises until I'm fully healed. My priority right now is to take extra care of my vessel. Apparently your prediction was right."

"I told you so", she laughed watching him scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. Suddenly the school bell rang. It was time for her to get back to class. "I'm sorry, but I need to get back to study."

"Of course. We can talk later. I also need to return to the mansion for resting. Seeing those crowds already put me in stress, especially that girl ruined my mood."

* * *

Before she went into her classroom, she accompanied him to the gate of the academy. The number of people gathered around the academy increased. They started to wonder about their next interaction. Meanwhile, her friends along with Mephisto, Amaimon, and the twins watched them in interest.

"Shizuka, don't forget to come to the mansion after your class is done. There's more that I would like to talk with you."

"Really? What are they?", she questioned.

"It's a surprise! I can't wait to tell you soon", the King of Light kissed her hand. Before she left, he pulled her against him and placed a kiss on her cheek, much to the shock of the crowd outside the academy. Shizuka's friends couldn't stop themselves from gaping, but Mephisto chuckled. He knew that would happen.

"See you later, _my lady_ ", Lucifer bowed to her. Then he walked for a moment and disappeared in a flash of light.

Her friends immediately ushered her into the class before the press were able to question her. They also didn't want her to be a target from Lucifer's angry fangirls. When they put her in her seat, they saw her only sit still like a statue and her face was blushing red.

"Shizuka, hey, are you okay?", Izumo flicked her fingers. Rin tried to distract her from her daydreaming by waving his hand in front of her face. She finally blinked.

"I'm okay. But the thing is, Lucifer had never kissed me that way. Not to mention, I'm pretty sure he had just called me a lady. I can't believe it!" Shizuka shook her head in embarrassment when her friends laughed hearing her ramblings.

"From what you told us, it's clear that Lucifer has feelings for you. We have never seen him this playful too", Renzou deduced. "Did he tell you something before he left?"

"He told me to come to him after our class. He wanted to say something. I'm wondering what does he want."

* * *

Mephisto visited his oldest brother in his room. The King of Time saw that he couldn't stop himself from grinning.

"You looked insane with that expression. Oh wait, you already are!", Mephisto joked to get his older brother's attention. "You looked weird since you fall for her. What's inside that twisted brain of yours now?"

Lucifer raised his eyebrows in question, but paid no mind to him. "I'm very much excited to see her. I can't wait to tell her about my plan for this Saturday. Also, I can feel that she's started to fall in love with me."

"Oh, _that event_ , isn't it? Do you want to ask her to come with you?", Mephisto asked him. He nodded. "I understand that you're in good mood right now, but are you absolutely sure that she likes you? I mean, she's so innocent", Mephisto argued with Lucifer's assumption. He loved to mess around with him, and it was going to be interesting seeing his confused face. But his answer surprised the King of Time.

"I actually still haven't felt so sure about her feelings, but I found something intriguing. She seemed to be jealous when I was approached by one of her classmates."

"Hm. Then I assume both of you are getting closer with each other than before, isn't it? I just want to remind you to not be so eager, but I hope you the best. If you need any advice, you can ask us anytime." Mephisto patted his shoulder and left.

Lucifer was anxious in his wait for Shizuka's arrival. He knew that anything can happen, but he had a good feeling about this. He smirked and licked his lips.

 


	18. Chapter 18

"Hey Shizuka! We couldn't believe that Lucifer kissed you!", Izumo grabbed her arm and whispered.

"I can't believe it either. Can we talk about this later? The teacher would hear us."

It was the last of their subject: Demon Circle Summoning. Todo sensei was unavailable at the time due to family business, so Igor Neuhaus taught them instead. The lesson for the day was the characteristics of Naga and how to summoned them. He coughed at the two. "Kamiki, Lovegood, do you have something to share with our class?"

"We are sorry, Neuhaus sensei. It's nothing", Shizuka responded sheepishly.

"Then please pay attention to the lesson. You can continue your businesses outside of this room after we are done."

The way he taught the lesson was quite different from Todo sensei. Todo sensei could make any hard subjects easier to understand, while Neuhaus sensei was quite stern. She was unable to pay attention, due to what happened earlier between her and the King of Light. How odd of him. He had never showed any affection in front of public, and his current actions puzzled her so much. She continued her musings until the lesson ended.

* * *

Before she followed her friends walked out of the room, Igor summoned her. "Shizuka-san, can I have a word with you for a moment?"

"Of course, sensei."

They walked out and sit on one of the benches. "How is your study during these few weeks? Do you have any problems?"

"I'm fine, Neuhaus sensei. It's pretty much the same since I decided to have a therapy for handling my trauma. My friends and Lucifer are helpful."

He was quiet for a moment. "You seem to be closer with the King of Light with time's passing. I heard that he came here before I arrived."

"Indeed. He wants to speak about something with me, but I still haven't known anything about it. After I'm done with my counseling, I'll come to visit him."

"Shizuka-san, I know that you are close with him, but do you remember what we had always taught you? Some demons are not good to make friends with."

"Lucifer is a good one. I know that he had done terrible things in the past, but he done it because he was in pain. He didn't hurt me all this time. In fact, he even helped me to get through my trauma."

Igor was apprehensive. From the way she talked about Lucifer, it was highly possible that she's under Lucifer's spell. The King of Light might be in good behavior in human terms, but demons could be antagonistic if people like her didn't careful.

Shizuka realized that Izumo and Shiemi were waiting for her. "I'm sorry, Neuhaus sensei. My friends are waiting for me. I must go, but I appreciate your concern."

She walked to her friends' way. "Hi. Sorry for making you waiting."

"What are you talking about with Neuhaus sensei?", Izumo questioned.

"He only told his concern for me. But when I talked about Lucifer, it seemed that he doesn't like him much."

"Well, not surprising. Neuhaus sensei is not a type of person to like demons, especially the Demon Kings. Even he has a hard time to trust Mephisto. I think it would be the same when it comes to Lucifer, considering what he had done", Izumo explained.

"Do you want us to accompany you to the psychologist?", Shiemi offered.

"Sure. Come on."

* * *

When they were accompanying her, they learned further about her current condition. Since she went through examination for her condition, they knew she suffered post-traumatic stress disorder. She surely took a long time to heal herself mentally, but she had shown good improvement. She had finally started to find comfort in trusting people. She wasn't quite affected when it comes to her telling of her traumatic experience. They gave her a salute. As a survivor, she was a strong one. Mephisto was right for telling them to have faith in her. As an exorcist, she would soon faced many demons that possibly more dangerous than Asmodeus, so mental strength was important.

* * *

They were having a chat about Lucifer. They accompanied her to the mansion before going home.

"Shizuka, come on! Tell us about Lucifer. Is it common for him to be that affectionate to you when both of you are alone?", Izumo asked her excitedly.

"Yeah, tell us Shizuka-chan! It's a first time for us to see him kissed you", Shiemi added.

Shizuka was blushing. "Well, he does that often when it's just the two of us."

"Lucifer is definitely in love with you! I can see it!", Izumo assumed in daydreaming. "This looks just like in the romance mangas that I usually read. Honestly Shizuka! I never thought Lucifer is a romantic type of demon."

"And looking from the way he treated you, he likes you so much to the point of getting bolder to show it by kissing you in front of public! Oh my, it's so sweet!", Shiemi commented.

Shizuka was nervous. She was in love with him, but she was unsure of Lucifer's attitude. She was getting more curious about his intention.

Without them knew it, they arrived in front of the mansion.

"Izumo, Shiemi, thanks for your company."

"You're welcome. Oh yeah, Shizuka, don't forget to tell us more about him after both of you meet each other!", Izumo winked.

She laughed. "Yeah, sure. I better get inside. I'll see you later!"

* * *

Lucifer had realized that she arrived as he looked from the window of his room. He heard about how excited her friends were when they looked at their closeness. He smirked and quickly leaped out of his room. "It's alright, Belial. Let me open it", he told the demon.

Shizuka was surprised when he stood in front of her. "Hey Lucifer."

"Hello, Shizuka. Come in."

She put her bag when she was inside of his room. She saw Lucifer made a cup of tea for her. "So, you told me that you have something to tell me. I'm curious. What is it?"

The King of Light had that glint of excitement in his eyes. "I want you to be my date."

Shizuka was surprised. "Wait, wait. Lucifer, this is too sudden for me. What do you mean?"

He laughed softly. "Before I explain further, have you heard of the news regarding a ball in the hotel near the Imperial Palace?"

She widened her eyes. "Oh, so that's what you meant? Yeah, I've heard of it in news."

"I was invited to join as soon as the prime minister heard that my condition improved. Actually I was thinking on declining his invitation, considering that I don't have anyone that I can ask to come with me. Then I reminded of you, that's why I called you to come here. I want you to be my dance partner. Do you want to be my date?"

She was unsure. "You told me that this is a ball, right?"

"Yes, a formal dance party, a masquerade one to be exact."

"I-I have never been in that kind of party. If I may ask, what kind of dance it would be?"

"It would be waltz."

She really wanted to slap her forehead. "I-I don't know, Lucifer. I have never danced that way before. If you asked me for a casual dance, it's fine. But this... this is a big event. Not to mention, many important people would be present. I don't want to put you in embarrassment, Lucifer."

"Why do you think so lowly of yourself? You haven't tried yet."

"It's not that. I don't know how to dance in waltz. I don't even have the proper dress for this kind of thing."

"Just leave the dress part to me", he comforted her.

"Is it okay? You don't have to be that overly generous."

"It's alright. The clothing is up to us, as long as we are dressed in costumes and masks. I can help you find the perfect model."

She suddenly reminded of what she saw earlier. Lucifer had no interest in women with revealing clothing. "Well, just find me a modest dress. Besides, I don't really like being too exposed."

He nodded. Lucifer understood that considering what happened to her, she started to be aware of her own body. "Is that mean you are willing to be my dance partner for the party?"

"If that's what you want, I'll come with you. But I don't know how to dance. I think I need to learn about it first."

He chuckled. "I can be of help for that. Let me show you how to dance."

Shizuka let him guided her to the center of his room. She was nervous being so close with him, but she had to fight it, for his sake.

"Now, I want you to put your right hand on my left shoulder. I will hold your left hand, while my left hand is on your waist. Just relax."

She did as instructed, and they started moving in rhythm as soon as he turned on his phonograph. Classical music was in the air as they danced.

Along the way, while he showed her the proper feet movements for the dance, she stepped on his foot for a couple times by accident.

"Oops! Sorry!"

"It's alright. It's common for a newbie to do something like this at the start. After you are getting used with it, you'll be good in no time."

"It seems that you used to do this in the past. You are way better than me."

Lucifer chuckled, "You can say it like that. Actually, when I do this, I only dance with women as a mere formality business. Of course, being a king I am, I have to participate in many events, including the one we are going to attend, so I have to learn many things. You might not know it, but actually some demons are quite good at manners. Dances like this are also available in Gehenna as the proof. But I'm asking you to come with me because I think that you're different from them. You are special, Shizuka", he flirted, quickly made her blushing.

He suddenly realized that Shizuka could already get the hang of it.

"Hey, you are actually good, Shizuka! Look at you", Lucifer complimented. "It seems that you are a fast learner."

Shizuka laughed, "Well, I'm learning from the best."

"What about we raised the tempo? It's going to be fun."

"Sure! Let's do it!"

He pulled her closer to him while they danced faster. He whirled her gently while he holding her hand, and the sight, feeling of her dancing with him enchanted him. During some occasions, he would lean down over her while she held on to him. He then raised her body in the air and pulled her into his arms. They were clearly enjoying themselves.

* * *

Mephisto and the others heard of the music from Lucifer's room and by the time they checked out on both of them, they chuckled.

"It seems that they are having a good time. Look at them!", Iblis laughed.

"I agree on that. Let's leave them alone", Azazel told his siblings.

* * *

Shizuka placed her head on his shoulder. She could not believe that she was dancing with the King of Light, but she was happy knowing that he wanted to take her to the dance with him. She breathed deeply near the crook of his neck.

Lucifer could also feel the same about her. As he hugged her in their dance, he smelled the scent of her body. She smelled wonderful.

But as they continued their dance, Shizuka suddenly tripped on her foot. Lucifer was surprised when both of them fell to the floor.

"Aw, that's really hurt", she complained. Her back was in pain.

He opened his eyes slowly. What surprised him was knowing that their faces were so close with each other, he could swore their lips almost touching.

She saw his bewildered face, and she immediately aware of the reason. She was shocked that she fallen on Lucifer, and she straddled him on his waist! "Oh my God, I'm sorry! I didn't know that I fall on you. I guess I'm still clumsy."

"It's quite alright. Are you hurt?"

"I guess my back is a little bit in pain, but it's nothing to worry about."

Lucifer observed his situation. He could feel the way her body felt against him in their position. She wasn't heavy; in fact, he didn't know that her body was so soft against his own. Her long hair was disheveled and it enveloped both of them. The King of Light saw her face looked somewhat in wonder.

"Lucifer, what is it?", she asked him while blushing.

He tried to straighten his back a bit. "I'm okay. Let me sit for a moment."

As he sat, with Shizuka still straddling him, Lucifer gazed his eyes at her lips. It had the healthy pink color, and as he ran his thumb at her lips they felt so soft. He was unable to think of anything.

"W-what are you doing?"

"It's nothing, Shizuka. Just let me take a look at you longer."

Lucifer realized that he had never such beauty in a woman before. Shizuka was so different from other women that he had ever seen. She was beautiful in everything she is. She was lovely even without having to try too much.

Shizuka could feel her heart thumped loudly as Lucifer's gaze grew deeper. Her eyes widened slightly when he brought his face closer to her and cupped her cheeks in both of his hands.

The pull between them was too hard to resist. Lucifer became desperately curious. How did her lips would feel like when he tasted it with his own?

On the other hand, Shizuka was getting nervous when he gets closer. But with the gentle caressing of his hand while he moved some strands of hair bangs away from her face, she lost it. She was desperate for him, as him for her. Nothing more both of them wanted than each other's touches. She clung her arms behind his neck.

But, before they slanted their lips against each other, someone barging in.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry! Actually I was coming here to check out on both of you, but it seems you are still busy. Don't mind me, I'm going out! Go ahead and continue what you're doing", Rin ran out of the room, deep blush on his face. His other siblings wouldn't believe what he had just saw!

After the first son of Satan left, Shizuka and Lucifer were flustered. Before he was able to say a word, Shizuka was already on her feet.

"Are you okay, Lucifer? Let me help you", she gave him her hand. He nodded and took her offer to help him. "I'm sorry, but I need to go home. My parents are waiting for me. It's almost dinner."

"Of course. I will give you the dress as soon as I find it."

* * *

Then she left his mansion. As soon as she was inside her bedroom, she called Izumo."Hey Izumo."

"Hey! How is it going? What did he tell you about?"

"Well, he was asking me to come with him to the royal ball in the hotel near Imperial Palace this Saturday."

"Really? How lucky you are! I will do anything to participate if I were you!"

"Actually I was going to decline his offer."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know anything about dancing. I finally relented, after I saw how eager he is. I think it's better if I accompanied him too, because he hasn't fully healed from his wounds. He had taught me how to dance in waltz, and even promised to find me a dress."

"Oh my gosh! He's so attentive", Izumo said. Suddenly she realized that Shizuka was silent. "Hey, is everything okay there? You didn't say anything since we talked for a couple minutes."

"Oh! I'm so sorry. Actually, there's more that I want to tell you."

"And? What are they?"

Shizuka was flustered. She couldn't stop herself from thinking about what happened in the mansion, and she had doubts about whether to tell Izumo or not. That girl would be surprised and asking more questions if she knows, no doubt. Shizuka decided not to tell her now. "You know what? I'll tell you tomorrow when we meet with our friends in the academy. I'm really sleepy."

"Okay, I understand. By the way, I think you have made a good decision to come with Lucifer. You need support from each other, considering what happened to both of you. Don't be afraid to open yourself to the ones who love you. Live up a little, Shizuka-chan. You deserve to have some fun."

* * *

In the mansion, Lucifer couldn't stop from cursing himself. He couldn't believe what just happened. He had made things so awkward between them both during their dance practice. He almost kissed Shizuka!

In all his lifetimes, the King of Light had never been a romantic individual. Just after he was working in Assiah and met Shizuka, his affectionate nature started emerging. Since he was aware of his feelings for her, he began showing her his true feelings through affectionate, loving gestures. But a kiss on the lips? Nope, he had never done that before.

He mused of the event. Somehow, his mind went numb when he laid his gaze on her lips. They looked so tempting, and felt tender like silk when he touched them with his thumb. It must be her trying to bewitch him.

Lucifer brushed off the negative thought. Come on! She's a good girl. No way she would do that. Despite her had quite a powerful magic, she would never does such ridiculous act. Magic spells from witches would be useless against demons.

Lucifer had seen many human couples kissing everywhere he went. For him to experience this himself was quite odd. He knew that humans did this when they were with their lovers, but what was weird to him is to see them being so addicted to it. Was it really feel that good?

This made him unbelievably curious. Was this feeling the result of his attraction towards Shizuka? If so, he was ready to know. He was aware that she had every right to know all his feelings for her, considering she had no one she's interested in at the moment and he didn't want to waste anymore time. Maybe he could give her this during their dance soon. He was impatient. He was going to make this event a night for both of them to remember.

A/N : I'm back! Sorry for the late update. I got caught up in a mess called laziness, but now at least I posted a chapter.

Hahahahaha, I love teasing you guys! The first almost kiss! Now the pull between these two is getting stronger, and this incident is not going to be the last! Just wait for it!

Well, anyways, that's all my ramblings for today. I'll post the next chapter as soon as possible. Don't forget to give me kudos and comment!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Sorry for the late update. I got caught up in a mess called laziness, but now at least I posted a chapter.
> 
> Hahahahaha, I love teasing you guys! The first almost kiss! Now the pull between these two is getting stronger, and this incident is not going to be the last! Just wait for it!
> 
> Well, anyways, that's all my ramblings for today. I'll post the next chapter as soon as possible. Don't forget to give me kudos and comment!


	19. Chapter 19

It was a peaceful evening. Lucifer was in his mansion, preparing himself to come into Shizuka's place. On his bed, a package was placed neatly. He gazed to the present, and he smirked. He left his room.

Lucifer knocked on her door, with the present he hold hidden behind his back. Shizuka finally saw him."Lucifer, what a surprise."

"Hello, Shizuka. May I come in?"

"Well, my friends and I are watching a movie with my parents at the moment, but I guess they wouldn't mind. Come on."

"Good evening, everyone", he greeted politely at people in the room. Amaimon raised his eyebrows in question, while the Exwires and the twins were gaping. But her parents were seemed to be relaxed. "Hello, Lucifer-san", Simon responded.

Yukio widened his eyes and cleaned his glasses. He knew that his half brother came here often, but it seemed that he had something in his possession. "Hey Lucifer, what is that you're holding in your hand?"

"This is something I want to give Shizuka for our occasion this weekend."

Now Amaimon turned his head in surprise. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. What was he planning now? The same thought was also in Rin and his friends' minds.

"What is this, Lucifer?", Shizuka questioned him curiously.

"This is something I want you to wear for the party. You can try them on later as soon as I get home", Lucifer whispered in her ears playfully and winked. "I'm sorry for disturbing your time. It's time for me to take my leave."

"Wait, Lucifer-san. Why don't you join us for a little longer? Do you have other business to attend to?", Simon asked him in confusion when he saw Lucifer stood near the door.

"I'm sorry, but I need to leave. I only come here to give something to your daughter", he refused politely. "Shizuka, I'll see you this weekend. I couldn't wait to see you soon. I'm sure you will like what I gave you. Good evening, everyone."

After the King of Light left, her friends and both of her parents immediately surrounded her.

"Shizuka, what's inside the package?", Izumo questioned.

"Yeah, open it up. Come on!", Iblis told her quickly.

When she tore open the box, all of them were gaping. It's a silver bluish dress! It looked sophisticated, and there were a mask and a corsage inside with matching colors. Shizuka blushed.

"So this is what you told us, Shizuka? This looks beautiful, dear", Keiko complimented.

"Lucifer-sama does have good taste. Why don't you try it?", Simon encouraged his only daughter.

Seeing her friends' excited gestures, she decided to go to her bathroom and tried wearing the dress. She observed her looks in the mirror. Her body fits perfectly with it. The hem of the dress reached her knees, and there was a long ribbon behind her dress. There's a strap covered her upper arm.

When she came out, all of them fell into awe.

"Wow, Shizuka. We have no idea what to say. You look beautiful!!", Shiemi commented, followed by their nods.

"We like it, Shizuka", Simon told her.

"I bet if Lucifer saw you in your dress right now, he would be mesmerized", Amaimon snickered.

Shizuka giggled happily. It seemed that they had no problem with her looks.

* * *

Little did they know, but the King of Light observed them all through his phantasma from the lighting of her living room.

Lucifer smirked in satisfaction seeing the event happened in her house. She liked the dress he gave her! Now he was impatient to see her soon. "Time to move forward."

* * *

The fateful day was finally at hand. Lucifer prepared himself for the ball. This time, he wore his usual attire, complemented by a long red cape. His long blonde tail was at loose. He wore his golden mask. It looked intricate, featured a beak-like bisection that left only his eyes and mouth visible. Lucifer chose the mask, so he wouldn't be too bothered by people feel overly curious of his current state. "This is it."

"I hope your night will go smoothly", Astaroth wished for his older brother.

Lucifer was in his limousine, on his way to go pick Shizuka to the dance party. Meanwhile, Shizuka sat in the guest room. She stood as soon as he arrived.

Lucifer hold his breath when she came to his direction. He was glad that he wore a mask, otherwise she and her parents would know that he was blushing. _She looks stunning!_ , he praised her silently. "Good evening", he greeted and opened his mask slightly.

Shizuka was blushing red. _Oh my god, he looks handsome!_ , she mused. "Hello, Lucifer. You look good in your attire. I like your mask."

"Thank you, Shizuka. I'm glad you are pleased. Shall we leave?", he gave her his hand.

She placed her hand in his and get into his limousine. On their way, Lucifer gazed his eyes intently at her.

"What is it, Lucifer?", she asked him.

"You look beautiful in your dress. It fits you perfectly."

Soon they were arrived at the hotel. Shizuka could see clearly how lively, how crowded the situation was. Reporters were all over the location, giving their results of observation regarding the event. Blitz from the cameras... She was getting dizzy from the noise of the crowds.

"Just relax, Shizuka. I'm here", Lucifer consoled his partner.

When they came out, many people started taking their pictures. The crowds were getting merrier. Lucifer's fangirls screamed seeing their beloved King of Light was present, and at the same time they were disappointed that a common red hair girl becoming his date.

The King of Light was only waving his hand at people around them. Shizuka knew better that he was only doing this as a formality. In normal circumstances, he didn't quite like to get involved with this many people too often.

There's the Emperor and his prime minister. "Ah, it's so good to see you, Lucifer", the prime minister greeted him.

"I have to thank you for inviting us."

"We are so glad that you are able to fulfill our invitation. You have a gorgeous lady by your side."

"She's a friend of mine", he gestured to introduce her. Shizuka immediately bowed before him.

"Such a beautiful maiden! Are you sure she's not your lover? As far as I know, you never have a woman by your side", the Emperor questioned him in interest.

"She's just a friend. We're close with each other, that's all", Lucifer squeezed her hand, knowing she's fidgeted.

"I understand."

"I hope you don't mind, but we would like to get inside."

"Of course. Take your time, Lucifer-san", the prime minister permitted them.

Shizuka could finally breath in relief. "Thank you for saving me back there, Lucifer. They caught me by surprise."

"Don't worry about it. Just be calm, besides I'm here with you."

Near the entrance, the MC declared their presences. "Ladies and gentlemen, I hereby present you, Lucifer, King of Light, the representative from True Cross Order and his partner Shizuka Lovegood have arrived!"

Inside the ballroom, Shizuka could see how lively the situation was. Politicians were mingling with their partners. Official guests from many countries were present. Some celebrities were even invited.

"So this is the kind of occasions you always get yourself into. With this many people, I can understand how this is tiring for you."

"Yes, Shizuka. I have meet many politicians, not just world leaders. Sometimes they are asking for immediate meetings with me. I have to be honest, but to me, many of them are just a bunch of hypocrites. They are often making false promises of maintaining peace, balance, and prosperity in order to gain trust from the majority of common people. Throughout the ages, I have witnessed many of them are becoming the cause for downfall of the social systems. This is the reason why I didn't trust humans in the past. But since I started working here again, I can see that some of you are better than those I have meet."

"I'm glad to know."

The MC commenced the dance.

"May I have this dance with you, my lady?", he bowed before her, extended his hand. His face was of a playful one, and she could see them, despite hidden behind the mask.

"Of course, my King."

When both of them were dancing, they were caught in each other's charms. Lucifer didn't avert his eyes from hers for a single second.

"You know, I feel like I'm in one of the fairy tales I used to read when I was a little", Shizuka mused.

"Really? Which one?"

"You know, Cinderella", she shrugged slightly. "Just like me, she was used to experiencing many pains throughout her whole life. It was rare of her to have luxuries. When I think about this, being in dance, I feel that the circumstances are so similar but in my case I'm dancing with an incredibly handsome Demon King of Light."

Lucifer smirked playfully while he pulled her closer to him, "Is that so? You always seem to tell me that I'm handsome, even when I'm wearing my mask in this occasion. Tell me, Shizuka, do you have any particular interest in me?"

"Should I answer that?", Shizuka raised her eyebrows mischievously.

"You make me highly curious. I want to know."

Shizuka became reluctant, she didn't aware that she was shivered. Of course, this caught Lucifer surprised. He later noticed that many couples are going outside for having their own personal times. It would be the best to continue their talk outside.

Both of them went to the balcony. Lucifer rubbed her shoulders gently. "Shizuka, what's wrong? You can tell me."

She opened her mask, "Actually, I'm still having many questions about what we have right now. I feel like I don't deserve all of this. Becoming your dance partner, having this luxurious dress, all of them."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Why do you think that way? Shizuka, I have told you that you are different than those women. You are kindhearted, sweet, and you can ask me many more that I like from you. You don't have to keep yourself away from me. Do you... hate me?"

"It's not like that!", Shizuka quickly denied him. She could see the sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry. It's not that I don't like what you have done for me. I'm just thinking that we are so different. You are influential, the most important figure in Gehenna and the peace ambassador of demons. You are the King of Light, and I'm the witch. I'm a weirdo. You can ask for a more beautiful woman than me to be your partner. I feel like I don't deserve to stand by your side. Don't you realize that if you aren't working in your position now, we are supposedly enemies? I'm in training to exorcise your kind. It will come the time when we have to choose sides... if your mission is not going according to your plan."

"I don't think so. Everything that I have planned before during my duties, all of them succeeded. I don't care what they are thinking about us. No matter how different we are, I still like being around you. No matter what kind of person you are, I won't go away. Don't you dare thinking that you are unworthy. Do I need to remind you of my words before? I chose you because I see something different in you. I noticed your pure and beautiful soul. Shizuka, you are beautiful inside out."

"Lucifer..."

She clutched his jacket in shame, but Lucifer hold her hand. Shizuka pulled his mask off of his face, and soon his face revealed to her. His scars from the fight along with the healing wounds on his skin were still visible, but she put all her attention on his eyes. They had never looked this deep before.

Shizuka blushed beneath his gaze, but he cupped her cheeks and smiled tenderly. Lucifer brought her closer to him and tilted his head slightly as his lips getting closer to hers. This girl just had no idea how much he wanted to kiss her. He couldn't hold himself anymore.

Unfortunately, before it happened, the sound of the MC heard. "Now let us hear a couple words from the King of Light himself."

 _These humans_ , he thought vexatiously. Couldn't they just give him some time alone with her, even just a brief moment?

"Lucifer, what is it?", Shizuka questioned him in concern.

"I'm sorry Shizuka, but I have to give a speech. Let's get back inside."

Shizuka pitied him while she observed him wearing his mask again. He was clearly disturbed by the continuous intrusion, but it was inevitable. They were here as important guests, and with his position, there was no time for taking personal space. She accompanied him to return to the ballroom.

The King of Light made his way to the stage. "Everyone, I have to thank you, especially to the Emperor and the prime minister for both of your generous offers to invite me and my partner on this beautiful evening. I also observed some familiar faces present in this room from my previous missions, and it's a pleasure to meet you again in this event. I surely hope that our good relations can endure. Shizuka", Lucifer gazed to her, "I also want to thank you for becoming my partner in this ball. You have no idea how happy you make me feel with your presence here. Now let's have a toast. To peace!"

"To peace and equality!"

Shizuka drank her own drink while she noticed how intense the way he stares at her. She was sure that he smirked behind his mask.

They continued interacting with many other fellow guests. Along the way, Lucifer noticed that some men were trying to touch Shizuka in perverted ways. Every once in a while, they would try to touch her butt or hips, to his annoyance. He quickly glared at them to keep those hungry wolves away from her. He won't have it to see them done anything more obscene to the girl he had _fallen in love_ with. Luckily, his efforts succeeded.

"Those men and their lustful behaviors. I can't believe that", Lucifer shook his head in disgust.

"What is it, Lucifer? Did something happen?"

"I don't think telling this is going to be a good idea."

"Just tell me."

The King of Light took a deep breath, "Since a moment ago, I have been keeping those men from touching you. They are rather lecherous, I have to say." She immediately have that horrified look. "But you don't have to be afraid. I will do whatever it takes to make sure you are safe throughout this night. As long as I am here, you will be alright. You have my word."

"Okay, I believe you."

"Lucifer-sama!"

They heard the jolly voice of a man calling out to him. Lucifer noticed that it was a man who is very familiar to him. "Gedouin-kun, you are invited to come here as well. It's good to see you."

"I am deeply honored to meet you as well. I see that you are rather in good condition!"

"Lucifer, who is this?", Shizuka asked in curiosity.

"Allow me to introduce Michael Gedouin. He's an American doctor who was tending to my condition during my healing process."

"Oh, you are flattering me, Sir."

Shizuka observed the man closely. She hated to admit it, and didn't mean to be rude, but Michael looked like a pig. Many people would say the same thing, with his fat posture, big nose, and small pair of glasses. She almost wanted to giggle.

"I see you are coming with a woman. I heard that you recently had just got married."

"Yes, I am. We were arranged for marriage by our families, but I have been in love with her from the first sight. She brought me happiness since we met. This is Maria."

Now she was interested with meeting the young woman. "Hello, I'm Shizuka Lovegood. I'm a friend of Lucifer. Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine as well. So you are the girl that Lucifer-sama mentioned all this time. Such a beautiful young girl you are! You are a student at True Cross Academy, correct?"

"I am. Beside of being a student, I am also in training for being an exorcist. I'm an Exwire."

"Is that true you're a witch?" Shizuka was fidgeting when Maria asked such an unexpected question. "Don't worry! I'm not judging you. I can also see demons since I was very young."

"It's true. I hope you don't find me weird for being one while also preparing myself to be an exorcist."

"Relax! Actually, I found that you're a unique young girl", she replied, and looked at the King of Light. "Lucifer-sama, I like this girl already."

Shizuka was in awe. She had just meet this woman for the first time, but she liked her already too. This woman was the first person to thought of her that way, besides of Lucifer, her friends and family.

_"I told you there will be those who like you genuinely."_

_"I know. Thanks for that."_

While Shizuka chatted with Maria, Michael looked at the girl. He continuously eyed on her body. Shizuka who realized it becomes uncomfortable. "Maria-san, I hope you don't mind, but I need to talk with Lucifer."

"Of course, dear. Take the time you need."

She gave him the sign to follow her. They went somewhere a little further from the crowd.

"What is the matter, Shizuka?"

"Lucifer, please help me. I don't feel comfortable here!"

"Wait a moment, calm down! What's wrong?"

"I don't feel comfortable with the way that doctor staring at me. I feel like the same thing with Asmodeus would repeat if I stayed here a moment longer. I would rather talk with Maria-san than him. Please, do something about him."

He was silent while he crossed his arms. His behavior made it seems hard for her to read into his mind.

"You're listening to me, right?", Shizuka asked him, scared that he wouldn't believe her.

"I do. It's just that I was thinking about what I heard of Gedouin-kun from other people in the Order."

"I thought you're not a type to listen to gossips."

"I am, but after you told me about this, I think it's time to be more careful. Besides, I heard rather... unpleasant news about him", he told her grimly. "During my time when he treated my deteriorated physical form, I heard that actually he's an eccentric scientist. As a former formal doctor, he has an unusual interest in us demons and our healing properties. He claimed that he wants to create an elixir which would be highly useful for curing many deadly diseases for both humans and demons. Many medical scholars, doctors, and professors thought of him as a lunatic, so he was expelled from his own community, and he started working alone."

"Creating an elixir? That's impossible!!", she exclaimed. "Even if he succeeded, there must be some side effects, especially if he uses it in experimental testings on humans!"

"I know. So far, I heard that he had succeeded in creating a drug powerful enough to cure the deterioration inside the human body that caused from aging and reverted the person back to their previous better condition. I think this drug is the closest to the elixir he wishes to make. But that the drug itself has its side effects, including hallucinations and addiction. What makes it worse, he sold them in high prices when the customers and patients are coming. I also heard from Homare when she investigated his process of making the drug for curing my rotting vessel, apparently he tested the drug on humans which resulted all of them lost their humanities", his tone was raised a few octaves while telling her about Gedouin.

Shizuka understood quickly. They were dealing with a psychopath! "Lucifer, we need to do something about him. It's going to be better if we don't stay here for long, and we can't let him get too close with the guests here. Poor Maria-san, she didn't know anything about what he did."

Lucifer clenched his hands. There was another thing that he is aware of, and he was sure she won't like this. "There's more. I also heard from Lund and Strom that he was interested in people with unusual physical appearances, like twins... or red-hairs. His interest also included to those possessing supernatural or magic powers, especially if they are young and beautiful women."

Now she was panicking beyond belief. "Lucifer, please, I beg of you! Let's get out of here!"

"Unfortunately, we can't do that."

She was stunned. Was he deaf? "Why?"

"Shizuka, I don't know if you notice this or not, but we are the most important guests for tonight. I can't just leave this place."

"Lucifer, I'm frightened! I don't think I could take this anymore!"

"I know! But I need you to calm down!", he reminded her. "I'm sorry, but it's not that I don't want to listen. This is a complicated situation for me too. I'm the one who directly links you humans to father. If I made even just a slightest mistake, my life would be on a pike! Not to mention, your safety would be on a line, and I can't let it happen. I can't bear the thought of seeing you getting killed by other demons."

"Lucifer, I'm ..."

"I know you are afraid, but I promise you will be safe here with me. I swear, I won't let you getting hurt again." _I love you too much to see you getting hurt._ He pulled her into a tight hug and put his forehead against hers. "Seeing you being this frightened worries me so much. I promise I'll do something about this."

"I don't want to get anywhere near Gedouin. Please, keep him away from me."

"Alright. Then stay with me throughout this party. If you need anything, let me know. I'll tell the prime minister and the Emperor that we'll go home early at 10:00 pm. How is it sounded?"

"Okay. I can take it."

"Everything will be fine, I swear it my lady."

She stunned once again by his affectionate words. She buried her face in his jacket. She was afraid, but every time he enveloped her in his arms, she felt serene. She felt like he wants to say another word, but he kept it to himself. It was fine for her. For now, she was comfortable with him just being like this.

"Let's get back, before those people starting ask questions. I'm sure they are wondering of our whereabouts."

* * *

When they got back, Maria seemed to be relieved but it was completely opposite to Michael. He was peevish. Throughout the night, every time he tried to get close to Shizuka, Lucifer whisked her to stay by his side.

Shizuka felt better for the moment. The King of Light did as he promised, and she was more at ease.

"Shizuka, I'm sorry but I need to speak with the other politicians. It won't be long. Meanwhile, just stay on your place where I can still see you."

She sit on one of the vacant seats while waiting for him. To diverted her from the feelings of being lonely, she ate one of the macaroons. Michael could see that it's his chance.

"Hello, Shizuka-chan. Why do you sitting alone? I thought you were with Lucifer-sama."

"I'm waiting for him. He was talking with some politicians at the moment." _Lucifer, please be hurry!_

"I see. I hope you don't mind if I accompany you for a while", he took a sip of champagne and tried to hold her hand. When he touched it, her hand felt so tender.

"What are you doing?", she questioned in disgust, pulled her hand away from him. This man was not only weird but a pervert as well!

"I'm sorry. My hand was slipped," Michael smiled innocently. "Well, since you are still waiting for Lucifer-sama, why don't you join me for a couple drinks?"

"I don't think that's a good idea. I think from my looks, you can already tell that I'm not of age to drink yet, and I don't want to drink liquor anyway", she politely denied. When she gazed at Lucifer, he was still busy talking with those people. What took him so long?!

"Oh come on! It's just a glass. How is it?", Michael urged her by offering a glass of sherry.

She thought hard. She knew this was wrong. She shouldn't drink. What would Lucifer think about this? But at the same time, she found it hard to reject his offer since he had given her the sherry. "Alright, maybe just a glass."

"Good! I'm glad you are willing to join me", Michael chuckled in somewhat sinister tone. _Such an innocent young woman! She had no idea that I have put a high dose of sleeping pills inside her drink. This will be fun!_

* * *

Lucifer was still talking with the politicians, and some women were trying to get his attention.

"That was a good speech, Lucifer-sama."

"Thank you", he replied curtly.

"Lucifer-sama, you look as good as always. Would you mind if I accompany you for the rest of the night?", one of the women tried to seduce him by running her hands on his jacket up to his neck.

He caught her hand. "I'm very sorry, but I must take my partner home early as soon as this party is over."

"Really? That red haired girl is your partner? I'm sure she's just a teenager. This is so funny", they laughed. He must be joking.

He was silent. These wanton women had no idea that he would not be taken as a joke. "It's true. She is a teenager, but I have known her for the longest of time. She's my friend, so shut your mouth." It succeeded to silenced them all.

* * *

In her seat, Shizuka suddenly feel dizzy. _My head is spinning. I feel sleepy. What's inside this drink?_ _"Lucifer, help me"_ , she called him by telepathy half consciously. In this point, she would fall asleep.

Michael smirked. The drug worked. Now he just had to get her away from the crowd. "Are you okay, Shizuka-chan?"

"I'm fine, just a little sleepy. Let me get a glass of water to clear up my mind."

"If you want, I can take you outside to get some fresh air, to help the dizziness subsided."

"No, it's fine. I can manage myself just fine."

Shizuka was surprised when he took a hold on her hand firmly. When she turned her head around, his expression was filled with lust. Just the same as Asmodeus. "Unfortunately, I cannot allow it." Then, he pulled her harshly to him, and covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief.

 _Oh no! This odd scent... chloroform!_ , she deduced in panic. She couldn't believe how foolish she had been. He dragged her away from the crowd when she tried to break away, but Michael's grip on her tighten. It seems that this pigface was stronger than she thought.

Shizuka fought to get free from him with everything she had, before she completely lost her consciousness. She was terrified of her situation. _"Maria-san, anyone, please... help me! Lucifer!!!"_

* * *

Lucifer snapped out of the conversation. He was sure that someone was calling out on him. "Shizuka?", he silently muttered.

"What is wrong, Your Majesty?", a German politician asked him.

"I'm sorry, but I will talk to you later. I need to make sure of something."

When he got to her seat, how shocked he was to know that she disappeared. And that doctor wasn't around when he checked on the crowd using his powers.

He had never felt this dumb before. _How stupid! What have I done?!_ , he cursed. Michael must have been taking her away to somewhere else. He must quick. If something bad happened to her again, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

* * *

Michael growled when she moved too much in his grasp. They were inside the lift that was taking them to the twelfth floor. "Quiet! Stop squirming around!"

"Let go of me! Where do you take me?"

This was not going according to his plans. She should have been sleeping when she was exposed to the drug. How could this happened?!

When the lift door opened, he quickly dragged her towards one of the rooms. But he was shocked when the flash of light appears. It's the King of Light.

"Where do you think you're taking her?", he interrogated him with emotionless expression.

"Ha-ha, it's nothing, Lucifer-sama. I was just helping her getting some fresh air. She's dizzy."

"Really? If she's dizzy, or drunk from the looks of it, you should have taken her to the balcony. What is in your hand? Is that a room key, hm?", he questioned as he approached the doctor closer.

"Lucifer, help me!", she squirmed in Michael's hold.

"Don't move, Shizuka. I got this."

Now the doctor was furious. "I can't let you take her, Lucifer-sama."

"Gedouin-kun, let her go", Lucifer requested politely. Actually he wanted to punch this poorly mannered man in the face, but he knew he had to be careful, otherwise he might hurt Shizuka.

Instead, Michael took out his gun and directed it at Shizuka. She was shivering in intense fear.

This was a dire situation! One wrong move, her life would be put on the line.

"Gedouin-kun, don't shoot her. I'll give you what you want as long as you directed your gun elsewhere."

"I want a lot of money, a billion dollars to fund my elixir research."

 _Materialistic human! Not surprising_ , Lucifer contemplated. "I can arrange it with the officials inside True Cross Order. Now let her go."

"But I think that won't be enough. Actually, I would like to have this girl", Michael stared lecherously, to Shizuka's fear and his shock. "I have been unhappy with my marriage. That woman is just a good for nothing. Not to mention, she's ugly and unable to satisfy me... when it comes to something."

"What the hell? Let me go, you creep! It's your fault for always not satisfied with what you have. Release me this instant, before I do something that you will end up regret for manhandling me!"

"Ha-ha-ha, you are such a feisty young woman! My favorite type! From the time when you stand with your friend, I noticed you are beautiful, and sexy indeed for a girl your age. We are going to have some fun."

Lucifer gritted his teeth. This man would regret what he did. He saw that Shizuka giving him a sign to be prepared, and he quickly understood.

"There's something more. I demand to do some research about your vessel, Lucifer-sama. I have never seen your true face until I started seeing you in your healing body. From the start, I know that your beautiful body is inhuman, and I want to study it further. With both of you are here, I can kill two birds with one stone."

Shizuka became irritated. This fatso has no idea what kind of problem he caused. "You lecherous man! Just face it! You only want to touch his body. I noticed that you were constantly admiring him, especially when he's asleep. I know, because I was there!"

Their surroundings turned dark. Michael turned to see him, and he saw his furious green eyes. "This is the last time I warned you. Let her go, otherwise I will have to give you a proper punishment."

Of course, the maniacal doctor didn't listen, shown from the way he directed his gun at the Demon King. Lucifer only stared, and Michael realized that his gun getting hotter. He quickly dropped the gun, but remained taking his firm grip on Shizuka. What he didn't expect was when he heard Shizuka muttered a spell.

"O Artemis, protector of the virgin women, I ask you to give me your power. Deliver me from the man who will do harm on me!"

Lucifer saw a creature which looks like a blonde young woman stood near Shizuka. Artemis was flooded with magical strength, and she shook her head at the situation, quickly understood her distress. _"My, my, my, what a mess you are in, Shizuka. Alright girl, I'll lend you my power. Kick this guy in the gut!"_

Receiving some power from Artemis, Shizuka concentrated to break herself free from him, then quickly elbowed him on his stomach and kicked him in the face with her other hand, still positioned her back against him.

The King of Light quickly took her into his arms and hugged her. "That was a magnificent move. Are you alright?"

"I'm okay", she replied, almost fell over him. She started to feel the effects of hangover.

"I can't believe what you're saying. You must have been drinking a liquor."

"I'm fine. I have using my magic to help me recover faster."

Michael gritted his teeth. He quickly ran on his way to the lift. Of course, Lucifer noticed that. "Shizuka, I want you to hold on me as tight as you can."

"What?! What are you talking about?"

"Just trust me!", he shouted as he brought her in his arms and jumped out of the opened window. His eyes were filled with fury. _I won't let you get away, you wretched man!_

* * *

Michael was furious. His plans ruined. He was about to rush to the parking lot and into his car, until he saw Lucifer and Shizuka in his arms floated gently, standing in front of the doctor.

Lucifer walked to his way, his mask was off, and surprisingly showed his fully healed face. But Michael didn't have anything to notice but Lucifer's emotionless expression. He knew underneath his stoic facade, he was beyond mad. "Lucifer-sama, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to challenge nor fighting you. You know a human like me can do something reckless when we don't think straight."

Lucifer's voice was stone-cold. "You should have known better than to manhandling my friend. Your actions are intolerable. I must punish you."

"Please, Lucifer-sama!! Spare me! Forgive me!", he bowed to the floor.

"Stand up."

Shizuka was bewildered. What was he doing?

"Even though you have done mistakes, you are still one of my personal doctors. If you make a mistake, then it's mine as well."

"Lucifer-sama, such gracious words! I promise I'll behave better!"

 _How disgusting_!, Shizuka thought of the sight.

"But that doesn't mean I would forgive you", Lucifer cut his apologies.

The doctor was stunned. "Huh??"

"You heard me. Still, after what you have done, I won't let you get away with this. You are foolish, cruel... and shameful human", he spoke and attacked him with his light explosive.

Shizuka immediately closed her mouth. He had gone too far! She knew that he was trying to protect her, but this is too much! "Lucifer, what have you done?! You killed him!"

Lucifer just smiled meaningfully at her. "Oh, I'm not killing him. I just giving him a punishment much worse than death."

"Um, then it means he's still alive?"

"Yes", he gazed at the doctor. Michael was shivered in great fear. "You are coming with us!"

* * *

By the time they returned to the ballroom, Shizuka stood beside him while Lucifer thrown the doctor to the floor. The guests screamed in embarrassment seeing Michael. He wasn't hurt, but he's naked, wearing nothing but his underpants and socks. Clearly Lucifer had ruined his outfit by blasting them up earlier.

"Michael, oh God! I have been looking all over for you. What happened to you? Are you alright?", Maria reached for her husband. "Lucifer-sama, what is going on? Did you just do something to him?"

"It's the other way around. You have no idea what a wicked man your husband is", Lucifer answered her. Then he explained the chronological events of what happened that caused Lucifer to be oppressive, including what her husband had done to Shizuka. "And you must know, this man standing before you has done what is considered to be a crime against humanity most importantly in medical sense. You and the president could read the report here."

Maria and the US president was shocked. "This is unforgivable! I can't believe you did this, Gedouin! Guards, take this man to custody! Don't let him out of your sight, and... please give him a proper clothing before we get back. I will surely arrange a trial, and he would be punished for his inhumane actions", the president promised him.

Maria approached the doctor. "I believe I should do this too", she said and slapped him. "I used to think that you're a good man but apparently you're not. You have been controlling me since we got married, you damn lunatic. You even forbid me from doing my duties in the True Cross Order!"

Shizuka widened her eyes considerably. "You're an exorcist?"

"Of course I do. Maria Yoshida, Second Class Exorcist Doctor at your service!", she winked playfully at the girl. "Well, I guess we'll meet often in the Order."

"I believe we'll do", Shizuka laughed. "Meanwhile, what are you going to do with him?"

"I certainly don't need a horrible man like him in my life. That's why, I'm planning on a divorce."

"Just do what you think is necessary", Lucifer advised her. He knew that marriages were complicated if a couple was unprepared. Too many things to consider, the reason for him to delay his timing for finding a mate. "Everyone, I think now things are settled. I need to accompany my partner to get home. Thank you for your invitation. We'll take our leave."

Shizuka then walked beside him to the entrance of the ballroom. But before they managed to get out, Lucifer keeled to the floor in pain and coughed heavily. The closed wounds on his face and neck tore open again. Shizuka was beyond shock and livid. "Lucifer, you big buffoon!!"

* * *

"Aw! Please be gentle with my face, Shizuka. It's hurt!", he complained while she tended to his deteriorated face. They stopped by at the mansion before he took her home. He had changed to his usual clothing.

"Well, that's your own fault for using your powers too much! Do I have to remind you that you're still on your way to fully healed? You are such a crybaby!", she pulled his ear. He cowered seeing her irritated face.

There was brief silence between them both. "Sorry."

"What did you say, Lucifer?"

"I'm sorry, Shizuka. I was just trying to protect you. After what happened with Asmodeus, I don't want to see you getting hurt again."

"I understand. If only I didn't drink the sherry Gedouin gave me, both of us wouldn't be involved in this mess, twice. I made a mistake again."

"I don't blame you for what happened. He must be forced you to do so. At least you're okay. How is your condition?"

"The hangover has subsided, so I guess I'm fine."

He chuckled. "I'm glad to know. Thank goodness then. If you're still drunk when I accompany you to get home, I don't know what to say to your parents."

"You don't have to say anything. Besides, the possible worst scenario didn't happen", she winked. "And I think I need to give you this."

Lucifer's face reddened when she kissed him on the cheek. He gulped for one second, then smirked. "You know that I would do anything for you."

"Anything?", Shizuka questioned, oblivious.

"Yes, and I wouldn't mind about it", Lucifer gazed intently at her.

* * *

They walked to her house, and her parents have been waiting for her.

"Lucifer, thanks for taking me to the party with you. Despite what happened earlier, it's very enjoyable. I hope you will ask me again next time."

"Is that a request, I heard?", he mischievously inquired, and she only laughed.

* * *

Few minutes later, Shizuka prepared herself to go to sleep. But what she didn't know, Lucifer didn't return to the mansion immediately.

When she was asleep, Lucifer came to her room by the window. He approached her bed. While he smiled at seeing her face, he didn't want to disturb her sleep. To his surprise, before he left, she stood behind him. "Hey, you came. I thought you have go home."

"I just want to see you again before I leave. I apologize for disturbing you."

They only stared at each other for a while. "I have this feeling that you always want to tell me something, but you always keeping it to yourself. Are you alright?"

Lucifer was caught off guard. Wait a minute! Did she just say what he had always hope for? He really wanted to jump in happiness, but this was too soon. Just a little more time. "It's nothing really. You don't have to worry about me. I will certainly tell you when the time is right."

"Okay then. Are you going to leave now?"

"Not before I give you this", he pulled her closer to him and placed a kiss near the corner of her lips. "Good night, Shizuka."

Lucifer's sudden affection puzzled her, but she smiled nevertheless. She returned to bed.

Lucifer walked away and glanced to the window of her bedroom again. He smiled softly. "I'm the one who should be thanking you for coming with me. I hope you have a beautiful dream, _my love_."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N : Finally, the masquerade! Hehehe, when I wrote this chapter, I was inspired from three manga. The first is from Sailor Moon, where Usagi Tsukino and Mamoru Chiba (under his alias as Tuxedo Mask) having their masquerade dance. The kiss part was also inspired from this manga, but as you see Lucifer didn't kiss Shizuka directly. But don't worry, the tension here would be paid off in future chapters!
> 
> The second is from Yu-Gi-Oh!, when Anzu Mazaki was drugged by one of her perverted classmates and saved by Yami Yugi. The last, of course from the manga, when Lucifer punished Gedouin! Lol, I tried my best to keep this scene close to the manga, although less violent. But oh well, I hope you guys like this chapter!


	20. Chapter 20

Lucifer was still thrilled from his interaction with Shizuka. Knowing that she was starting to aware of his feelings for her really lifted up his good spirits. He knew that it was still early for him to awake. It was 06:00 am and it's weekend, but he didn't care. He wanted to visit her and asking her to have some fun with him.

Meanwhile, Shizuka was still in bed. She stirred slightly, but her sleep was sound. Lucifer watched her intently in his owl form. He chirped on the headboard of the bed near the window.

 _What was that sound_?, she thought as she rubbed her eyes gently. She saw an owl sitting comfortably on the headboard. Okay, that owl was cute, but now it is weird. Wasn't owls supposed to be nocturnal birds?

The owl fly and surprisingly turned its form into a human.

"What the-? Lucifer?", she shrieked, before Lucifer put his finger on her lips. She blushed with his gesture.

"Keep your voice down. I'm sure you don't want to wake your parents so soon. I know people like you are still asleep in times like this."

Shizuka bit her lower lip. Unknown to her, Lucifer gazed his eyes at her so closely. Her innocent gesture was so alluring to him. "Good morning, Lucifer."

"Good morning, Shizuka."

"You came here early. You surprised me with your animal form."

"My apologies for that. But, is it wrong if I want to be the first person you see today?", he stated mischievously.

Shizuka's cheeks reddened and turned her face away from him a little, "No, it's not. I'm just surprised, that's all. I'm always happy that you come here more often. But I would appreciate it if you aren't coming here through the window. People can make assumptions, especially your younger siblings."

"I never paid any attention on them. But if you aren't feeling comfortable, you can ask me to come again soon."

"That sounds like a good idea. But I think, maybe later. I still have some morning worship to do."

Lucifer nodded. He saw her bringing a small plate filled of various kinds of offerings, like foods. She must be going to given them to her patron goddess.

"O Hecate, my guardian goddess, the guide of ways, I thank you for your infinite kindness and blessings. Please accept my offering, and guide me to work in this day with no harm done. Bless my family, bless my friends, and bless the one matters the most to me."

Shizuka then stood back up and faced him again. "Sorry, you know that it's mandatory for me."

"It's fine. I always think it's interesting to see you worshiping them."

"Actually, I also influenced by Christianity, from my father since recently, so sometimes I also come to the monastery."

"You become a Christian witch?", he asked in amusement.

"I know it's funny, but my parents have allowed me. They don't mind at all."

Lucifer only smiled. "How about you come to me soon at 09:00? There's something that I'm going to do, and I want you to join me."

"Sure. Okay then."

* * *

3 hours later...

Shizuka was preparing herself. There was something that she wanted to try. She was going to find out about Lucifer's feelings. The girl had been thinking about his current behaviors, and she had a hunch. She just wanted to make sure.

Lucifer was sitting in his room while he waited for her. Now she had arrived.

"Hey Lucifer", Shizuka greeted him.

"Shizuka, I'm glad to see you arrived."

"So, you told me that you want to do something. What exactly is it?"

"Come, sit here with me", he asked her. Lucifer sat in front of a grand piano.

Shizuka stared at the music instrument. She did have seen the piano many times, but she had never seen him playing it before. It was a white colored piano, with beautiful ornaments all over it. "Wow, you want to play this?"

"Actually I want to play this with you. Have you ever play a piano before?"

"No, I have never. This piano is beautiful. I bet it must be expensive when you bought it."

"Yes, but it's worth it. I like the sound of piano. Sometimes I'm playing this when I feel bored", he explained. "Would you like me to play first?" She nodded.

Lucifer then began to play. Shizuka was amazed. It wasn't surprising, considering his lifetime experiences, he would be extremely talented. The music was so... harmonious and calming. His hands were moving so swiftly on the keys. She clapped her hands. "Wow, that was beautiful. It was a classic music, right? From the sound of it, I guess it's Debussy."

"Oh, you have heard of his music?", her words caught his interest.

"Yeah. I used to listen to him when I played a musical game on my phone. I also listen to classical music sometimes."

"Oh, I see. Do you want me to teach you how to play? I can help you by choosing a slow tempo music. If you have your own choice, it's fine."

"How about Ode to Joy by Beethoven?"

"Good choice."

Lucifer then instructed her to put her hands into the proper position. It wasn't easy, but to him it was understandable. This was her first experience. His hands were on hers when he guided her.

Shizuka groaned in exasperation. "This is so hard! I pressed the wrong keys so many times! I'm jealous of you. How could you be such an expert in this?"

"Of course, this is not easy for me at the start too. I'm learning by experience, and it took me years to be this good. Nothing goes instantly. I'm sure you know this."

"I know, but I'm envy you. You are so good at many things."

Lucifer smirked. "Hey, there are many things that takes a long time for me to learn. You are good at many things you didn't realize, and one of them are emotions, one of the things that I haven't entirely understand even until now. Please don't feel down. If you want, you can come here anytime, and I'll teach you to play. What do you say?"

"I don't know."

"Come on, Shizuka. This will be just like old times, when you were a little."

"Alright then. I'll think about it", Shizuka finally grinned. "By the way, could you play another musical composition for me? I love the way you play."

He was quiet, but smirked a moment later. Lucifer finally resumed playing the music composition, and this time she watched him closely. She suddenly realized something. "Hey, this music is Bella's Lullaby, right?"

Lucifer only laughed. Oh, how he loved to impress her.

"Weird of me to think, but I feel like you are taking my interests into account. How do you know?", Shizuka wondered.

"It's just a lucky guess."

"Somehow, I feel like there's more to this." Lucifer was only staring at her meaningfully.

Shizuka put her head near his neck and enjoyed the music in the air. Lucifer himself was reveling in the feelings of her body so close to his. He wrapped his tail around her waist.

Shizuka was surprised to see his tail around her, but didn't mind about it. When she gazed at him, Lucifer glanced tenderly.

* * *

Unknown to her, Lucifer had his reason to shown his affection this way. In demon etiquette, wrapping a demon's tail around the one they consider close with is a clear sign of the mentioned demon that they were interested in them.

* * *

Shizuka was asleep when he's done. He could only shake his head in amusement. As much as he enjoyed her sleeping beside him, the current position would be no good for her.

Lucifer decided to lift her in his arms and carried her to his bed. It surprised him to see her clung one of her arms behind his neck while she mumbled in her sleep. Lucifer could swear he felt her breathing near his neck, nevertheless he didn't complain. In fact, it made him happy to know how comfortable she is to be near him. He nuzzled her face affectionately.

The King of Light finally placed her on his bed and tucked a blanket over her body. That would make her feel more convenient. He rubbed her hair gently.

* * *

An hour later, Shizuka was awakened. At first, she wasn't realized where she is. The last thing she remembered, she fell asleep while she listened to Lucifer's play. She took a look at her surroundings. The bed she laid in was big, a king-size bed. Around the bed there were transparent curtains. The bed itself was so soft.

"You finally awake."

Shizuka suddenly saw Lucifer sitting on a chair not too far from her while he drank his tea. Realization came into her mind. This bed belonged to Lucifer.

"How do I get here?"

"I saw you sleeping by my side after I was done. I couldn't bear to see you sleeping in such uncomfortable position, so I took you to sleep here."

Shizuka became nervous and guilty. She had made him feeling burdened. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep. I guess I really enjoyed the music, I didn't realize it."

"It's fine. Usually after I'm playing the piano, it puts me into ease. I always feeling better, especially in my sleep. I hope you had a good dream."

"I had. Thank you."

Shizuka fidgeted.

"Are you alright?", Lucifer inquired.

"Actually I have been thinking about something. I hope you don't mind if I ask you", she replied. "Do you have someone you're interested in at the moment?"

Lucifer gazed at her eyes deeply. He was surprised for sure, but this might be a good time for confessing his feelings. "Actually, I have been thinking about someone for the last two months."

"Who is it?"

"I'm thinking about a beautiful young woman. She's completely blown me away. She has amazing personality and very kind. She's a human, but she's different than the ones I have met. Even until now, I'm still thinking about her feelings, if she really likes me or not. I'm such a coward, since I don't have the courage to tell her my feelings, and not to mention I'm a demon."

"I see. But I think differences don't matter. You can still tell her about your feelings. I'm sure she will like you."

"I definitely will", Lucifer said determinedly. This was the chance. "And, what about you? Do you thinking about someone? I'm curious, now that you mention it."

"There's this guy. He was kind, smart, funny, and most importantly, he's handsome", she suddenly blurted.

She was about to continue until she saw him went still. Lucifer was silent all of a sudden. Hesitation came to his mind. "Do you like him?"

 _Oh no, from his question this isn't good. This is not according to my plan!_ "I like him, so much. We have been friends for a long time. I can't stop thinking about him. I want him to know my feelings, but it's so hard. I don't know what to do."

He could feel her confusion, but most importantly he could feel his heart was hurting. There's a guy that has stolen her heart and occupied her mind. Too late for him. "If you like him so much, why do you afraid? Just tell him." He felt like he betrayed his own words. Telling her to be bolder while he didn't have the courage himself.

"I'm afraid he doesn't have the same feeling like I do. I'm afraid that my feelings would be one-sided."

Lucifer took her hand in his, "If you want him to notice your feelings, just be yourself. You are beautiful, and I'm sure that every man who knows your feelings will realized how lucky they are to have such a compassionate young girl such as yourself. Be confident, and I'm sure he would realize it in time."

"I hope he likes me."

"Trust me, it's easy for many people to like you", he caressed her hand. "If I may know, who is the lucky man?"

Shizuka was surprised. Her cheeks reddened so much at the unexpected question. Could it be that he's actually... "Lucifer, actually that guy is..."

Her phone suddenly rang. Shizuka took a look at her phone.

"What is it?", Lucifer questioned in concern.

"It's Renzou. He asked me about our homework. I better get home to check out some things. I'm sorry for not being able to stay longer."

"It's fine. Go ahead."

* * *

Shizuka immediately ran home. As soon as she was inside her bedroom, she sat behind the door. "How stupid of me. Why can't I asked him? I want him to know my feelings, but instead I blurted nonsense. He must be hurting right now. I _didn't mean_ to say that I fall for another guy. Lucifer, I'm sorry", she cried in despair.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lucifer sat on his bed with unreadable stare at the window. He was unable to think of anything. He was filled with conflicting emotions. In his eyes, confusion and frustration were visible.

"Hey brother, what happened to you?", Mephisto approached him. "Is something wrong? You have never looked this sad before."

What the King of Time didn't expect was when his oldest brother sought for comfort by coming closer to him. He hugged Lucifer gently.

"Samael, you know that I have feelings for Shizuka, right?"

Mephisto was perplexed, but nodded.

"She... she told me that she had fallen in love with someone else. I-I have never felt this terrible before. I should have been telling her about my feelings weeks ago. What should I do?"

"Just calm down for a moment. Are you absolutely sure that she told you about it?"

"She did tell me she was thinking about someone. She didn't tell me who, but the thought of seeing her in the arms of someone else, it makes me uneasy. What if something happened to her? I don't want to see her hurting, not again. She deserves better. She deserves to be happy. Sometimes I think that perhaps she deserves someone better than a demon like me."

Mephisto sympathized the King of Light. Love. Such a confusing emotion. It was able to turn a person completely, into better or worse. "I understand, but so far she didn't tell about the guy's name that she's fallen for, right? You still have a chance. Don't lose your hope all of a sudden. Besides, the big brother I remember is not this weak. You can do this, Lucifer."

Lucifer nodded weakly. "I'll try. I'm still wondering about her crush, and I will not rest until I know that she's happy, whether with me, or with that man."

"I'm sure you can still win her heart. Keep trying, big brother."

Actually, Mephisto knew exactly what was going on between the two of them. He gritted his teeth. As soon as he returned to his office, he sat with a hand over his face. "Lucifer, you dumb. Don't you have any idea that Shizuka actually loves you? You made deductions too soon. Sometimes I think that both of you are idiots. You fall in love with each other, but you don't want to be honest with your feelings. I hope things will be settled just fine for you. Maybe we can help, but in the end, it's both of your decisions.."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N : Hey peeps! I know that I'm a little early with updating this chapter, but I'm tired of waiting! I can't wait to show you this chapter, and the tension just keep on intensifies!
> 
> Now we saw these two in music. Shizuka basically can listen to many types of music, but she likes classical music too. On the other hand, Lucifer has an old taste when it comes to music, so of course he would love classics.
> 
> I'm sure when you read this chapter, you can feel the vibe of Twilight movie and book here. When I wrote this chapter, I read Twilight, I gotta be honest lol. This series is my favorite.
> 
> And yes, Bella's Lullaby is Shizuka's favorite music. She's a fan of this movie too :p Clair de Lune is very popular. For your information, classical music can be used for various purposes. As for a college student such as myself, sometimes I listen to them for studying hehehe.
> 
> Well, enough for my ramblings! Don't forget to give me kudos and comment!


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